Which speakers... B&W 802D or Vandersteen 5A's?

Background:
I have compared the Paradigm S8 and B&W 802D (last model not the diamond, but I have also demoed the diamond) with in a few days of each other. I heard the S8 on a $30 Krell front end and a cheapy Arcam set up. I also demoed the Focal 1037Be on the same/same room as the S8 (Krell). I demoed the 802D on an all Classe' front-end and cheapy Rotel set up.

My opinion:
The short answer is the 802D would be a lateral move in general and it will come down to what you are trying to improve. The 802Ds have a more open and detailed midrange but at the cost of an unnatural tone (IMO) because of some peaky-ness. The bass is very strong on the 802D and was a good bit stronger than the S8 but it does not really have anymore definition than the S8. I would call it a tie, both sound a little boomy to me. Now the 802D has much better highs, but they are bright tonally compared to the S8.

All in all the 802D will be a little more fun (punch/slam, forward vocals, bright highs) but the S8 is probably more accurate while being a little boring dynamically speaking.

Now the 1037Be sounded a lot more like the S8. I has good tonal balance but the mids are MUCH more open than the S8. Highs are about the same but the driver integration was lacking as a whole. I was trying to talk myself into the 1037be at one point because the price was right but I wised up and passed on the deal.

I've yet to hear a B&W sound better than a Vandersteen but that is my taste. Why these two? If I were you I would list all of your preferences and priorities in a speaker and have the this vast vault of vernacular but sometimes venomous victims of audio addiction make a few valued and often times victorious recommendations. Do you have a veneer preference?

You will be much better off than deciding between two, unless you've heard them both but can't make up your mind.

IMHO, Vandersteen 5A's. I'm not a big fan of the B&W's, and really like the Vandersteens. To top if off, the Vandersteens would appear to be a better fit in your room.

Vandersteen 5A. One of the finest designs and executions ever. Time and phase coherent with linearity flat to 20 Hz. Pinpoint imaging, incredible soundstaging. B&W cannot compare but you need to personally verify as this is too important an investment.