Advice on a stereo system

i am assuming you want some cheap bookshelves and not some computer speakers.

well, i am no expert either. the best way to do it is to find a local dealer with a demo room and just ask to try stuff out. just tell them your budget and your room size.

all you would need is some small bookshelves from a reputable company, a 30-50 per channel amp and away you go..

the problem i think you'll face is what happened to me. i recently got some second hand floor standers and a stereo amp. the problem is that stereo amps do not have digital inputs usually and so i am not sure how you will output to the amp.

you could also get a cheap AV receiver and only use two of the channels but from what i hear an equally priced stereo amp is better.

i got around this by buying a slim devices squeezebox v3. http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html?

this is a very cool little gadget as it allows me to access my music on my comp through my wireless home network meaning i can have my speakers anywhere in the house where there is power.

might not be for you but you may need a external dac(digital to analogue converter) to act as a go between your comp and the amp. the best thing may be to just use a cd player if you are on a tight budget.

still, my advice is to get a cheap 30-50W per channel amp or AV receiver, some 2 way bookshelves with a frequency response of perhaps 50hz-20khz and some nice stands for the speakers. your best bet again would be to find a local store and actually listen to some.