That is the problem with thoroughly reviewing an item isn't it? A review that says they are great without defining where the speaker start to lose to others really isn't very useful, but, as soon as its limits are identified, those limits begin to wholly define the speaker in our minds! We people are inherently conflicted!
Focusing on the mid and upper range, Jim and I have different opinions on the 52's vs 22's, which does not help.
You can feel assured that you are unlikely to find better BS speakers than the BS22's for under $200/pr (I read on other forums as well and I believe Jim (Zieglj01) has judiciously auditioned more speakers in this category than anyone!). Understand that this is comparing the BS22's against the very best among $200 speakers.
For budget floorstanders, the Infinity P363 has been the standard for some time, consistently beating speaker above its price point. It retails at $400/pr, occasionally seeing $260/pair discounted, and most recently (since the Pioneers have established themselves?) $200/pair discounted.
The FS52 which retails for $260/pr and discounts at $200/pr is, very much superior to the Infinities (to my ear). Additionally, it is, IMHO, a nicer looking speaker with the curved cabinet (also, I have never been a fan of how the Infinity grill wraps over the top edge). I don't know what pair of floorstanders would be next in line above the FS52's, but feel pretty comfortable saying you are looking at a minimum cost of $500/pr speakers.
Will you be running a sub with these? If so, you may want to bring home both the 52's and the 22's and return what you do not like. The difference between the two is subtle, but it is there, and I can appreciate Jim's preference of the 22's.
To answer your question from another angle, what type of music do you listen to:
Listening to Steely Dan, there is no contest, the 52's win convincingly every time. The shine/vividness of the 52's is fully realized and any shortcomings are obscured. For mainstream rock with male voices, the 52's are fantastic.
Listening to Jazz recordings (I play in a jazz band, so use this for my auditions), the 52's win when the band is in full swing, but many solos sound slightly stronger (better) on the B22's.
I think the worst case scenario for the 52's was playing female vocals which use the upper range of the human voice (Dido, Edie Brickell, Rickie Lee Jones, etc). If you listen to this type of music, use it to listen to the FS52's (preferably at home).
This is the best litmus for these speakers I can offer.
If you bring home both and listen to something like Steely Dan, then Dido, I believe you will quickly appreciate the differences between these two speakers (both how small of a difference it is and what you consider the better option).
As a general rule, floor standers offer some advantages over bookshelf - more bass, higher efficiency, and higher max SPL (though the bookshelf is strong). Bookshelf speakers usually have less cabinet resonance (though I did not hear any issues with the 52's).
If you can, bring home the new speakers before you lose the B&W's so you can do a head to head comparison. I don't think you will be disappointed.
