B&W vs Von Schweikert house sound?

I auditioned the 802D at 2 dealers & one home, and the VR-4 SR at one dealer, before ultimately buying the Thiel 3.7.

I did not find the 802D tonally neutral in any of the 3 very different systems. Apparently, getting it to sound neutral is very tricky at best.

The VR-4 SR was tonally neutral. My primary criticisms were: (1) it was strained or distorted on peaks in heavy classical music like Mahler; (2) vertical lobing was pronounced, so tonal balance was critically dependent on listening height.

I find the Thiel 3.7 exceptionally dynamic and detailed, tonally neutral, and very tolerant of listening position.

Why don't you listen to both of them for yourself and be your own judge? Lots of folks like B&W, and VS has a loyal following as well. So obviously both vendors must be doing somethig right, for at least some segment of the listening public. Also, you haven't said anything about your equipment or what types of music you listen to.

Having said that, if I had to close my eyes and choose I would probably lean towards Von Schweikert. I have owned both B&W (Matrix and Nautilus) speakers, and had a pair of VS2s for about six months while a friend was travelling. The B&Ws were both very good, if unexciting. The Von Schweikerts are much more lively, musical and fast IMHO. And, properly placed, they image like the dickens.

But why just these two brands? Based on your requirements (and again, not knowing anything about your system) I might suggest that you listen to one of the French speaker lines: Focal, Triangle or (my favorite) JM Reynaud. Not to over generalize, but I have found that all of these brands tend to lean towards warm, detailed, forgiving and great imaging. While Iwouldn't decribe any of them as analytical, the some of the Focals are more so than the Traingle than JMR. I have a pair of Triangle Cometes in my den and enjoy them very much. I just bought a pair of JMR Offrandes (on A'gon) and am looking forward to setting them up in my new listening room, which is a converted 3rd garage stall about the same dimensions as your basement.

Some people don't prefer the B&W 800 series with the diamond tweeters as they are usually heard at dealers who also carry MacIntosh or Classe.

Unless they are hooked up to Mac 501 monos or Classe CAM 400 monos and at least bi-wired, they can sound constrained and you'll never hear what they are capable of.

I listened to these amps with my 803D mains and wasn't entirely satisfied. The speakers, however, woke up when connected to a Spectron MK2 that has 600/watts of power and I've never heard them sound so good whether at low or medium volumes.

The B&W 800 diamond series are tough to drive as their nominal impedances of 8 ohms drop to 2-3 ohms during play and only a few amps are stable at these impedeances. The Spectron is stable down to 0.1 ohms.

I also have them shotgun wired with Mont Blanc speaeker cables and they sound better with speaker wires that are at least bi-wired.

My 2 cents.

Thanks for the responses so far. I know there are many other speakers out there, but for the purpose of this thread, I'm only interested in comparisons between these two brands. I am not interested in other brands at this time.

I listen to lots of different music, ie, jazz, vocalists like Sinatra and Norah Jones, classic rock, pop, some big band and orchestral music, etc, however, I'm really just generally asking for the characteristics and distinctions between these brands and these particular models.

I own the N803 and the older matrix 803s2. I've listened extensively to the 803D and 802D, and I really like their sound. I personally do think that the B&Ws are lively. I cannot listen to the VSA's, as there is no dealer in NYC/LI area, but I've always admired the reviews and board opinions of these speakers. That's why I'm trying to compare them by others opinions.

Thanks. Look forward to more comparisons.

I am more familiar with the VR4 JR (I own two pair) than the VSA speakers you listed. You have listed quite a range of VSA speakers. While there may be a house sound, you will hear differences across this group in the attributes you listed. Bass tends to be fairly quick for all the VSA speakers listed, but there is generally more impact and abiity to go lower with the VR5 than the VR4.
I find the high end of the Von Schweikert to be less fatiguing than the B&W speakers and somewhat more forgiving of recording quality. The Von Schweikert speakers also seem to be less amp dependent in achieving optimum sound than the B&W speakers you listed. It is difficult for me to make detailed comparisons because of differences in room acoustics, associated equipment and break-in when I have heard these speakers.
You might find an owner in the NYC/LI area willing to provide a demo of Von Schweikert speakers. Try posting in the Von Schweikert forum on Audiocircle.com if you want to pursue this possibility.