Folks, thanx for all your responses, thoughts and impressions. I nearly bought the Vandies, however teh guy who sold 'em could not deliver them for a few days and that gave me time to make a final comparison. Different dealers', different rigs but still. B&W 802D blew away the Vandies on hard rock material and that sealed the deal. No matter how much I like the Vandersteen smoothness, there will be always something missing for me while B&W seems to make everything right. I'm goin' for B&W 802D (which I also found used localy for a great price).