$1500 is a solid chunk of change for an AVR. All of the major Japanese brand will have products in this price range. You'll have plenty to choose from - Denon, Marantz, Onkyo, Integra, Yamaha, Pioneer, Pioneer Elite.
I would peruse Sound and Vision and Audioholics to get a lay of the landscape. I would also consider an Anthem AVR and separates, e.g. Outlaw Audio and Emotiva. These separate will not have all of the features of the Japanese but may sound better.