Upgrading bose 301's .. the next step ?

The suggestion by Newkstime (a Sonny Rollins fan, perhaps?) regarding the Meadowlark Kestrels is a good one. I forgot to mention it in my list above. The other speaker that I should have listed that has gotten favorable reviews is the Totem Arro, which sells new for about $1100.

i use the 805 matrix with a cj mv52 45wpc tube amp and have plenty of volume in a moderately sized room 14x24 they sound wonderfull you can pick them up used for 800-1k

We really need to know what your musical listenting habits are. If you like classical, jazz and accoustical music, the Magnepan MMG's at $550 direct from Magnepan are hard to beat as an entry level audiophile speaker. However, they are harder to drive than the Bose and would require that you upgrade your existing Amp as well.