Best speakers for $1500 or less?

Since you have already found a speaker that you love, your on the right track as to what you like. So I suggest you go and listen to other brands similar to the SF Venere 1.5 to narrow down your preference and find the absolute right speaker for you.

The Venere 1.5 has a soft dome tweeter and 6" woofer. Other speakers that are similar in driver configuration and material would be the already mentioned and excellent Dynaudio X12. Also, consider the slightly larger X16 or the bookshelf models in the next range down, the DM 2/6 & DM 2/7. Last, I would also be sure to listen to Vienna Acoustic Haydn Grands, another speaker similar to driver construction and configuration of the Venere 1.5. Have fun!

Used Ref 3A de Capos

One of the very best speaker's at its price on the market today is the outstanding Polk LSIm 703 which has been recently compared to and sounds very similar to Sonus Faber. In a recent review a pair of Anthem 1000 watts per channel mono Class D amps were used on the 703's with a pair of Sonus Faber's in the same room. The speaker's go down to 35 hertz and produce very powerful bass and sound their best with a high powered amp. What makes the Polk's so special is the Orth crossover network designed by Polk Engineer Scott Orth, who holds a degree in Acoustical Engineering. The 703 is a true three way design and is only $1500.00 a pair.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. Wow, I've now tried quite a few different speakers. Fun but also stressful! I've tried B&W, Paradigm, Magnepan (few different models), Dynaudio X12, Audio Monitor RX6 (surprisingly underwhelmed), Vandersteen (1ci - also underwhelmed), and today I just tried the Martin Logan Motion 20. I keep wanting to like a floorstanding speaker, but keep coming back to the Sonus Faber Venere 1.5. I would say my second favorite was the Dynaudio X12. However, today, I was really surprised with the quality of the Martin Logan Motion 20; caveat on that - Magnolia (Best Buy) is including a ML subwoofer for free if you buy the Motion 20 or 40. I have to say that the Motion 20 with the ML subwoofer sounded great! Anyone else hear these? I have a relatively small living room - 11 by 16 - so not sure if I want to go with the big monitor or the small floorstanding. Thoughts on the Martin Logan Motion series welcome. Thanks!

I listened to the Motion 40 a couple weeks ago and was really impressed with its
speed and neutrality. Those Heil-type folded ribbons are very nice--clean and
extended with none of the harshness you get from overshoot and oil-canning
with some dome tweeters when pushed hard. They have a small footprint and
have very nice cabinetry. I like perforated metal grilles as they protect the drivers
better. All I would have wished for is a bit more bass extension and it looks like
the complimentary sub would take care of that.