I guess it depends whether you think your current system has adequate or inadequate bass, since you would be moving from floorstanders to bookshelfs by going for the BR2 or 602 S3. Having said that, the 602 S3 are pretty large bookshelf speakers and may not really lose out a lot in terms of bass depth and weight. Personally, I think they look rather ugly and clumsy as I find them too large to be bookshelfs.

In bass heavier rooms/systems, I have found a definite improvement in transparency, speed and tautness by going for bookshelf speakers, as the midrange is not muddied up by the overpowering bass.

I think both those speakers you mentioned are a step up from your Wharfedales in terms of quality. I'm not a fan of budget floorstanders, as I think only when you move up the range that the manufacturers are able to minimise some of the physical downsides that larger cabinets bring. Looking at the rest of your system, I think they deserve better than the Wharfedales too. I have listened to the BR2 before, and used to own a pair of 601 S3. Between the two models you mentioned, I would go for the BR2, but only if your system does not currently suffer from lack of bass.

Yes, I do agree the B&W's clarity is rather good, but I thought the sound was a bit metallic compared to better speakers. The 602 S3 is an older but more expensive speaker than the BR2, so it's also not that surprising that you thought it was better. However, unless you actually did an A-B comparison of the two speakers, it's hard to really tell conclusively, because the equipment and cables that each speaker was connected to can make a lot of difference to what you heard.