[Arny Krueger]

"Doug Sterlina" wrote in message
oups.com

Im new to the hi-fi scene and im interested in getting
what I guess you could call a "mid-fi" system for my
9x13' room and I want some expert opinion. I want to
spend about $1000 or less on a turntable, 2 speakers, and
amp

So far so good.

For speakers I was thinking about Polk Monitor 50's or
something similar and an Audio-Technica AT-PL120
turntable.

OK.

Will floorstanding speakers be too much for
such a small room?

Depends on what else you have in the room. ;-)

I suspect you are making a mistake here - thinking that all floorstanding
speakers are so similar that if any of them are wrong for the room, then all
of them are. There is actually quite a bit of variation in the low end
performance of floor standing speakers.

I want to avoid having a powered sub
since that will cost extra and be overkill in a
townhouse.

Not necessarily. If you have a sub, your main speakers will probably be
smaller, cost less, and be easier to place, all other things being equal.

When it comes to the amps, I'm lost.

The easiest, cheapest approach is to get a receiver. You probably want to
keep it simple - just get a 2-channel receiver.

As far as power
amplifiers vs integrated amplifiers how do you know what
you will need since different devices output at different
levels.

Power amps are matched to the speakers by a separate device called a preamp.
A preamp plus a power amp is functionally about the same as a receiver or
integrated amplifier.

Since you're on a budget, you probably want to go with a receiver.

The turntable has a built in pre-amp so would
that be able to drive a power amp directly and would that
be the best option?

Forget the power amp on your budget.

I read that most consumer all in one
tuners are integrated amps with a radio tuner, but then
im confused as to why some would have a phono input if
all the inputs go through the built in pre-amp anyways.

Some receivers have phono inputs, but a lot of modern ones don't. However
the phono input on the receiver is moot if you are using a turntable with
its own phono preamp. The built-in phono preamp on a turntable will produce
a signal that is like a CD player, or a tape recorder, or a tuner, or a TV
set. It will work with any receiver.

I also want to be able to hook my computer to the system if possible
through RCA cables.

That works, but sometimes it is hard to connect a computer to a regular
stereo system without causing a ground loops and hum. When this happens,
the easiest solution is to get an audio isolator, such as the one that Radio
Shack sells for under $20.