Looking to power my Rega R9's

You don’t need to get something nearly as expensive as a Rega Osiris to better the sound quality you have now. A solid integrated amp with a home theatre bypass option will serve you well. For $1500 new there are several good ones you could try and a world of options if you’re willing to try used. Peachtree Nova150 would be one option new but there many others. Just be sure whatever you choose has a Home Theatre Bypass option to make things easy. Here’s a list:
http://audiophile.no/en/articles-tests-reviews/item/426-amplifiers-with-processor-input

Connect any stereo (2-channel) sources to only the integrated amp inputs and leave the home theatre receiver off when you’re listening to stereo sources.

For surround sound...or connectivity options you don’t have with the new integrated amp but are built into the receiver..., connect the audio out RCA outputs from your current receiver to whichever input is set as the home theatre bypass on the new integrated amp and your integrated amp will serve as a power amp for the front R&L speakers for any sources connected to the receiver (presumably TV & DVD/Blu-ray mostly but maybe Bluetooth, or streaming audio too depending on what you get). You can set most integrated amps to turn on automatically when you turn on the receiver using the trigger inputs/outputs (I’m pretty sure your receiver has a trigger output, but best to check).

This benefits you for a couple reasons... the obvious one is that the pre-amp section of an integrated amp is usually much better for stereo than the pre-amp section of a receiver...but that only helps with the 2-channel sources. The less obvious reason is that with surround sound, you off-load the receiver’s usually weaker power supply since it will only be driving the center and surround speakers instead of all of them...most receivers have way less power as they are required to drive more speakers so this effectively increases your power reserve and offers more dynamics for what remains even if the published specs aren’t necessarily better for the IA than for the receiver. 

Also, be sure to re-run the Room Correction setup through the AVR once you’ve got the new gear in place.

@ethos123 - Thank you so much!  I will definitely check the url out.  This is a solid direction for me to check out (thumbs up)

-George

The more I've looked into it, the more I realize only a few integrated amps have BOTH the home theatre bypass AND the trigger input features I mentioned (Marantz does in your price range but only a handful of others)...worst case scenario without the trigger input is you're turning on one extra box (probably via remote and maybe from the same universal), so don't let the trigger input be your make or break feature. Missing out on a home theater bypass setting is a bigger headache for this type of combo setup because you have to figure out a reference volume for the IA and change the volume on both devices when you switch sources. That list I posted earlier isn't all-inclusive (I know the Nuprime IDA-16 has HT bypass and isn't on the list), but it will give you more than enough good options to consider and a decent, if not comprehensive, reference if you find something you're interested in but aren't sure if it has HT bypass buried somewhere in it's menu options.

Good luck and happy listening!

Go with the Yamaha. It has all the features you want!