Hi Lou
The midrange in the Alethas is probably the best I've heard. It is very natural and the truth of timbre is outstanding. High-end, I would give the nod to B&W, Dunlavy's tweeters sometimes exhibit a little too much energy. Could be the recording, but to me the 802s was a bit sweeter sounding. The bass is where it isn't even close. Dunlavy's clean, tight, and accurate sounding. I have never heard a B&W speaker that had good bass. Thiel and Dunlavy bass are similar sounding to me. For me the Aletha is the best sounding speaker at it's price, I've been very happy with them. My system is ARC Ref2, VT100 mkII, and CD2. Synergistic Research Designer Ref I-Cs and Acoustic Zen's best bi-wire speaker cables.
Dan