Just getting into mid-fi need advice

buy everything used right here on audiogon,there are lots of good folks here who are honest & will help you put together a killer sounding system.

most sellers here on audiogon (including myself) are very anal about the condition of their gear & you should be able to find used speakers here that look & sound like new at half the new price.

I live in an apartment, room size is around 20x14 (I think) its not a very large room.
I looked at the speakers there were some on sale. I am more inclined towards floor standing speakers.
What would your recommendations be on the speakers in my budget (around $2000 +/- 500)?
I was under the impression that one should buy new speakers and it should be ok to buy used components.
In my modest budget range of $1000 for the components I was looking at a integrated 2 channel amp - am not sure which one, I saw some rotels up for sale - however would greatly appreciate suggestions for systems.

I think for integrated amps under $1000 you can't beat Jolida. I won't necessarily comment on the tubes vs. solid state thing - but if you're afraid to commit to tubes, check out their hybrids; input tubes don't need to be changed nearly as often. Looks like they start around $400 here on the gon. I think that *for the money* tubes will get you more for mid-fi than solid state.

You should be able to pair that with a Rega Planet or one of the Shanling-family cd players and come under budget. Spend the rest on your cables if you do.

For speakers under $2000 - I think you can do better than the Paradigms at that budget. Paradigm makes some great sub-$1000 speakers, but for $2000 used you can get a heckuva pair of spekaers. Given your mid-sized room, Magnepan's are worth considering if you want something exotic and are really into imaging. Look at Proacs if you're into a really well-rounded speaker that has a distinguished flare and does vocals well. You could look at the Revel entry-level floorstanders in that price too.

Really you have a lot of options in that price range - just go listen, listen, listen. Find what speaker you want first, then pick the amp that will match. The Jolida will drive all the suggestions I gave you - but wouldn't match well with, say, Martin-Logans.

Integrated amp - used Naim Nait 5i at about $950. Speakers - Triangle Celius 202 at about $1000 or Celius ES at about $1500.

For someone getting started, the studio 100 v3 is an excellent choice. There are better out there, but they are more picky about placement, and electronics, and won't offer the overall value that Paradigm will. Magnepans are too big for your room in my opinion. I have about the same size room and am using a stand mount speaker. Musical Fidelity is a great place to start with electronics. Especially with Paradigm. If you are really itching to try tubes, look into Anthem. They are a sister company of Paradigm and like Paradigm offer very good value.