Hey, what better gift to myself for finishing my MBA than a new machine, right?

I've read at least 90% of the posts regarding new machines since I joined in May, and am ready to go buy. I would like to spend under $1500.

I currently have a Brother, its mechanical, and has a 5" throat. Common issues are that the thread has a tendency to come off of the think that goes up and down on the front of the machine - last step before needle, the feed dogs don't drop, there are no thread snips, there is no down needle, there is no tie-off function, it doesn't like bulky seams (like corners of binding) and it will feed top and bottom differently, even with the walking foot. I was raised on a Singer, but I'm not being held to any brand.

What I would like: 10" throat (approx), thread snips, down needle, down dogs, clear bobbin area, 1/4" foot capability, FMQ capability, ability to sew thick items (maybe the extra high presser foot), good lighting, most likely computerized. Stitches I use most often are straight and zig zag, but I also like some decorative stitches - I seem to have alot of baby quilts on my UFO list, and like to machine sew the bindings, so decorative stitches would be great. I don't sew clothing, ever, so serging, etc, is not a necessity. An alphabet/limited embroidery would be nice for mug rugs, placemats, coasters and quilt labels.

I have looked at Baby Lock, but the closest retailer, and therefore repair shop, is 3 hours away. Within 20 minutes of home I have Pfaff, Janome, and Bernina at LQS', and Husqvarna and Viking at JoAnns. I was also just told that Kenmore machines are Janome, but it seems that Kenmore has stopped production, from my Google research. I am willing to look at Juki, Singer and Brother are also OK if they meet the list.

Specific Machines I am considering are:
Baby Lock Melody
Juki F600 $1049 on Amazon
Janome 6300P $1199 on Amazon
Janome 6500P $1499 on Amazon
Janome 6600 - seems like the only difference is a few more stitches, and the accufeed system, and its about $1699
Pfaff Ambition 1.5
This is not an exhaustive list - feel free to suggest others.

So, from the wealth of knowledge held by all the amazing quilters on M*, what information can you give me? What machine basically meets the list above that you would qualify as a great machine, where I can hope one day of getting the results as beautiful as the quilts you make? Thanks!