B&W 800 D4's, Room size, & general Q's

I don't personally know anyone in DC/Virginia.  I would hope someone here could share if they have a great dealer they work with.  

I think you are very right conceptually looking at speakers first.  Find the speakers you like and then choose the electronics that you want to go with them.  

Here is a list of awesome brands worth taking a look at that sound different.  You initial thoughts of B&W, Kef and Focal is good.  They are big and safe and make awesome speakers.  

For a range of sounds, at least take a look at the website of the following brands.  Some of these look a bit different but all of these are speaker makers that make elite products.  

Wilson Benesch - carbon fiber cabinets handmade in the UK.  Incredibly detailed and fast.  I would look at the Vector and the ACT One Evolution.  These are a slightly forward but extremely detailed speaker that sounds massive.  Because of the relative neutrality, it works with a VERY broad list of amplifiers.  Everything from Chord and Ayre (a little brighter) to AVM and Naim (warmer) will work nicely.  Unfortunately, I think I am your nearest dealer just outside of NYC

Vivid - the designer here is one of the guys who helped make B&W great back in the 90s.  All are transmission line speakers made from fiberglass but sound incredible.  These are brighter like B&W, Focal and Kef and needs warmer amplification.  Bricasti, Naim, AVM, borg are all incredible with these.  I would look at the Kaya 45 and Giya G3.  Reach out to Todd through the Vivid website and he will get you the nearest dealer.  

Wilson - they are made from their proprietary materials which are different types of phenolic resin which is the material good PCBs are made from.  They are made in Utah and are brilliant.  I am not an expert on their line.  They are best with high current tube and SS gear.  Bricasti, AVM and VTL are wonderful options.  

Magico - Aluminum cabinets and wonderful parts make these speakers incredible.  They LOVE power and come to life with lots of headroom.  They are brighter and work best with warmer amplification.  I loved them with AVM amplification at NY Audio Show in 2018

YG - similar to magico.  Aluminum cabinets, etc...  They like power but don't need the massive reserves that Magico likes.  

Rockport - I would second looking at these and would not discourage anyone from considering them.  

Avantgarde - these are German horns.  Unusual looking and insanely revealing.  Careful matching is required but these are exciting and engaging speakers.  Look at the Uno and Duo.  Not sure who the dealer is in your area.  

MBL - These are omni-direction electrostats. Best with their amplification and the do generally need massive power reserves.  These deliver an immersive listening experience like no other speaker in the world.  

Raidho - These are ribbon based speakers that sound huge and deliver an incredible listening experience.  Not as immersive as the MBLs, it is sort of a middle ground between something like Vivid and MBL.  They have a lot of models that would work on your budget and work with a broad range of amplification.  I know their is a guy in Philly who sells these.  

Vienna Acoustics - These are a refined and well made speaker that is doing some really interesting stuff with drivers.  Strongly recommend them.  Reach out to Bluebird and they will put you in touch with the nearest dealer.  

Vandersteen - these are warmer speakers (best with Ayre).  Richard Vandersteen is certainly a legend in the US market and for good reason.  These are great speakers.  

If you review and research these, you will get a very good understanding of the range of options available to you.  I personally carry Wilson Benesch, Vivid, Avantgarde and Raidho.  The other products are just ones that you should consider if you are going to spend this kind of money.  

Why not ATC instead of Bowers and Wilkinson? 
More pleasant to my ears,  not so glossy though 😁

Great post from verdantaudio above. 

Hey,
firstly, any room can be optimized with room treatments. The best description I have heard is that low frequency behaves like water. It will build in the corner of your room depicted and it will wash out of the door opening. Not a big deal. I have GIK brand bass traps etc but there are many good alternatives. Try the room as it is first and then make adjustments. As for B&W, I have 802d2s with JL audio fathom 212s. Speakers really depend on the type of music and the volume level. Beware a lot of people say things who have never actually owned a pair. With a properly integrated sub you have many choices. The plus side of brands like B&W and Mac is that they are easily re-sellable down the road. The negatives are largely subjective. I don’t personally care for the aesthetics of Macs but they have a wide variety of products so you should be able to find one that’s right for you. It sounds however like you are new to this stuff and are basing decisions based on reputation- not a sin by any means. If that is your case I would consider buying clean second hand and sticking to well known brands. If your tastes change then you can resell (many resellers want clean name brand trade ins) and the hobby is the adventure it should be. Last thing, don’t believe all the reviews etc and constantly trade up. Buy decent quality and listen to music, that’s really why we are here right?

I listed the three places to try in DC/Virginia in my post above.

If you're nearer Richmond, make an appt. at Audio Exchange.

Crutchfield in Charlottesville is hopeless for serious auditioning of speakers.

If you're near Roanoke/Salem, you could try Uptown Audio.

Just please listen to some brands other than B&W.