I've heard stories about this happening all the time at trade shows. Folks will get drawn to a demo, ask about price then not give them a second look, no matter how good they sound. I've heard some pretty expensive speakers that I'd be upset if I paid what was being asked based on performance.
Like Dave said above, B&W do have one hell of a marketing team. That said, I did get to listen to a pair of 802 D3s and they're right up there with some of the best I've heard, but you need a second mortgage to buy them... minus the bass extension I think my Sierra ribbon towers are right there too. It's hard to say definitively since I wasn't able to A/B them but I don't feel like I'm missing much in comparison.