$800 to spend on speakers, $1500 on whole system

fortunately/unfortunately there are dozens of very good speakers in your price range...

there are dozens of very good speakers in your price range 

The difference in sound qualities of an 1800 system and a 1500 one is probably not worth the 300 though.  

I am very impressed with my vintage Marantz 1060 integrated amp I picked up on the bay for around 350 including walnut case. Sounds much better than my Denon 5.1 AVR. I've read reviews comparing it favorably to the Peachtree.  There are many among us who feel that some vintage models may rival or exceed modern equipment especially in similar price ranges. 

Dragonfly DAC. Polk RTi A5 speakers. Music Hall mmf 2.2. Modern Polks don't get much attention in forums, but I like mine at 350 each. 

Elac Uni-Fi F5, they will be the best speaker under 2k pair easily.  Andrew Jones is a genius.  Elac rules!

I am confident that once I heard then I would agree that the F5s are a great speaker for the money, however I find it hard to believe I would find them to be the ‘best under 2K easily’.  

Runnin, though I believe the difference between a $1800 and $1500 system to be marginal, upgrading ones speaker budget from $500 to $800 opens up many possibilities toward improvement, especially on the used market.

Update: I have listened to many monitor and floor standing full range speakers. I listened to the goldenear Aon 2 & 3. Also totem rainmakers, some Martin Logans, and several others. 

I really loved the sound of a recent model Vandersteen 2C (I think 2Ce). They're too expensive, but I found a used mint condition pair of 1980s 2C speakers on Craigslist for $450 - was told this was the first 2C speaker made. They sounded excellent at the sellers house on a low power amp. I should have my peachtree amp in a couple days - can't wait to turn them on. 

If I have to do some surgery on it down the road, it'll be a good learning experience. For the price I loved the value of this deal. 

I had the original model 2Cs. My pair was made in the late 70s. I bought new in 86 and played and enjoyed them for about ten years. A very good full range speaker. The foam surrounds did go out in mine however they can be replaced. The ‘skirt' surrounding the drivers can be slid to get access to the drivers if you ever need to inspect. Flip speakers upside dow and work from the bottom. Your pair are newer and may have different surrounds. Richard Vandersteen also can upgrade the 2Cs. 

I also owned these speakers as well as 2ce. You made a significantly good choice given your budget. John Rutan of Audio Connection in Verona, NJ is perhaps, the most knowledgeable Vandersteen dealer still in business. If you ever do need Vandersteen advice you should give him a call...and of course purchase from him if you are able.

i have no connection to Mr. Rutan, except as a happy customer who values his knowledge. Rutan is one of the "good guys" in audio; he will never send you down the wrong path. Best, Rob

Nice!  I had some 2ce's and I've also owned peachtree gear.  You put together a nice little system on the cheap (if $1500 is cheap)!  Congrats, I think you'll be pleased

so here's my biased opinion that will fly in the face of all these posts. go to audio nirvana site and order the biggest full range drivers you can afford and build some open baffles using their free plans, wont be more than $150 for the wood and stain/paint. with this set up you wont need more than 8 -10 watts max. this means you can get a small well made amp for a lot less money. even a toping t chip amp will do the trick for less than 70$. with the savings you can invest in a quality dac/cdp. i went this route and it is amazing sound for the buck. i have been using a cheap chinese tube amp at 10wpc and it is killer. as good as my old paradigms with nad gear and much less costly. the plus is that you cn customize your speaker color to your choosing and late can even have some cabinets built if you want that option. full range drivers with a small tube amp have a great sound

First off, buy used.  Look for mint condition gear, this is where you can really maximize your money.  
The peachtree nova SE's are excellent bang for your buck.  They sound great, look great, and offer the convenience of built in DAC (a good one), and numerous inputs, including optional bluetooth.  A used 125SE, since they've been discontinued, may be available for around a grand, the 65's probably closer to $500.  
In terms of speakers, a nice compliment would be Totem Rainmakers.  Used pair probably around $600.  So, the 65 and Rainmakers should bring you in on budget, and would certainly be a nice system to show off.  Both come in cherry finish, and have a low profile aesthetic.  I love good gear, but i don't necessarily want to clutter my living room with it.  This is a very good, user friendly, low profile system that is very sharp.  I have a 125se i am looking to part with, i simply dont use it anymore, though i will not give it away because they're too nice.  it is mint.  Email me if you're interested.