MC402 vs FPB 300cx

Get the 802Ds first and see how it goes from there. I would think the Mac's recommendation on the hiogher end monoblocks is a good one....if you want to stay with McIntosh amps. For B&Ws the more power the better. But I heard the 803Ds wtih the MC501 amps and they did sound good.
There are lots of good amps out there, but if you like the Mac, go for the amp with most power if you;re talking B&Ws.
Just my opinion.

I am wondering what the next steps will be as I want to eventually move toward 802d's.

I had the 802D's with the MC402 and didn't like it, I have heard/read that the 501's do much better with them.

My 402 failed about a month back (a strange erratic static sound when all is quiet without the amp connected to any sources, just speaker cables to speakers and on) and I couldnt get a replacement from Mac so my dealer cut me a deal on new 501's and I got 'em. They are a noticeable improvement and I have my eyes on a D series speaker (most likely 803 as I can't really figure out what I'd do with an 802 in terms of size) because my dealer tells me there is a B&W 800 series price increase scheduled for 2008 (January) to the tune of 15-20%.

But to get back to the thread I heard 501's driving 803D and they were pretty amazing, and only slightly behind the 802D in midrange performance. However, the same rig with a 402 I found much less involving and with a far smaller soundstage and dynamic presentation

Mhelming, 803Ds are great speakers man! Now you heard what I was talking about when you heard the 402 with 803D. I guess now you know why I'm not much of a 402 fan.

Again on the power output of the 402: Mhelming is right - 400 watts are only the published minimum. The German magazine Audio reviewed the 402 and measured it and found, depending on the tap and the load, that the 402 was able to deliver up to more than 800 watts. I have Diapasons, which represent a 6 ohm load, and have them connected to the 8 ohm tap. From there, they get more than 600 watts sinewave, as was confirmed by a friend of mine, who works for one of the largest high end-importers here, and who came over with test equipment to check out the 402. He said it was one of the most powerful amps he ever measured.
Regards,
Florian Hassel