Shiva - You beat me to the punch ... Klipsch Heritage all the way. Belles and K-horns with a pair of the RSW 15" subs or go all out with Velodyne's DD-18.
Also might consider Klipsch cinema systems ... I have read they are impressive for HT. As much as it would be fun to dive into an "audiophile" system it would be tough to cover that big an area. 1500 sq ft with high ceilings, thats a lot to cover. Most companies would be thinking PA system - the Heritage line seems to be a good trade off. Room for those horns to breath! You could actually run 7.1 and get the effects to work. I bet it will be mind blowing HT no matter what way you go!
Good luck - I'd love to see some pics when you're done.
Also might consider Klipsch cinema systems ... I have read they are impressive for HT. As much as it would be fun to dive into an "audiophile" system it would be tough to cover that big an area. 1500 sq ft with high ceilings, thats a lot to cover. Most companies would be thinking PA system - the Heritage line seems to be a good trade off. Room for those horns to breath! You could actually run 7.1 and get the effects to work. I bet it will be mind blowing HT no matter what way you go!
Good luck - I'd love to see some pics when you're done.