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

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.