Aerial Model 9 vs B&W Nautilus 802

you're already there!

I've not heard the Aerial 9s but I have owned 10Ts and I've been told that the 9s don't hold a candle to the old 10Ts. If thats true then I find it hard to believe that the B&Ws would take a back seat to the 9s.

Give the 9s a listen. It has been years since I have heard 802s or 10Ts, so I can't give you a very speciffic comparison. However, I know that I greatly prefer the 9s (After all, I bought them after auditioning 802s, 10Ts, Wilson, etc.). I cannot say enough good things about the 9s. They do everything a speaker in this price range should do in terms of transparency, dynamics, imaging, soundstage, etc. However, they really excel in terms of musicality and are much less fatiguing than B&Ws (if my memory serves). Also, very very neutral so you will really be able to tweak the sound with your electronics. Worth an audition.

Has the 10T turned into a bit of an urban legend?

I read a post where Aerial themselves commented that the Model 9 is their best seller and they are very pleased with their performance and have no plans to make any changes to them. If the 10T was THAT good, wouldn't Aerial want to tweak the 9?

Get Maggie 3.6R's...with the ML amp it would be sweet:O)