KEF Reference 5 vs. B&W 802 D3 speakers - which one better? your knowledges & opinions

@fast, thanks so much for the review.  I placed the order through Kef for $13k and will get it next week.  I hope with the price im paying is worth it for this speakers.  Its a big purchase for me and I prolly wont buy another speaker for a very long time.  I’m highly into audio and with the experience i have, i may not able to call myself an audiophile yet but i do enjoy the sounds of these high quality speakers.  They do make a big difference in sounds.  Reason im asking so much is because i bought this speakers without listened to them.  I was deciding between the 802D3 but decided on this one because many people said this sounds better than the 802D3.  I currently own the R900 and this will be a big upgrade and i hope $13k is worth it for the sound Quality this speakers offered.  I just dont want to feel regret after, resale and lost money later.   Thanks again for your input.  I will test it next week when i get it and will update everyone here.  

Congratulations! Hopefully, you’ll love them immediately. If not..at the risk of being redundant..be patient. I almost wasn’t. I had the same fear about being out so much money but started checking out other options anyway . My dealer came over along with the regional person from KEF to advise on speaker placement, break in, etc. I’m very glad I waited.  I think you will be happy. Good luck. 

@fast which bass port did you used? Which one give more bass?? Also, do u think $14k is a good deal?? Thanks

I’ve experimented with the bass ports. Right now, I’m using four long ones and I’m pretty happy with the results. I think this is very system and room dependent so your preference may be different. You got a 33% discount on speakers that usually aren’t discounted.  I’d say that’s a good deal. But only if you like them. Don’t get buyer’s remorse...they haven’t even arrived yet.  

Congrats from another KEF Ref owner (3’s in my case).  I, too, compared the KEFs against the B&Ws and while I really respect the engineering prowess behind B&W, I greatly preferred the KEFs. I was also considering Sonus Faber Olympica 3s, (very different sound, but I like classical music and some jazz and they’re easy on the ears - and very easy on the eyes)), but again preferred the KEFs.  

FWIW - I had a chance to compare the KEF Ref 3s against the KEF Blade 2s using the exact same system and cables - we just moved the speaker cables from one to the other.  Yes, the Blades were better, but they were a lot closer than you might expect considering the Blades 2s are 2x the price. Let your Ref 5s fully break in and run them with decent source and electronics and I think you’ll find you enjoy them very much.