Bookshelf speaker suggestions for Office


I'll just say up front that I am a complete newbie when it comes to hi end audio. What I'm trying to do is buy some good used speakers, and also a used record player. For speakers, I'm looking to spend anywhere from 400 to 700 dollars. As for the player, I'm open to suggestions. At this point, I am not looking to buy a tube amp, or a better tuner, but definitely in the near future. I already have a decent phono pre-amp for the record player. I would appreciate any advice anyone has. Thanks.
bdogsquad
Here is information from a previous post about new turntables, but these models or their previous editions are often available used for less money.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ymisc&1217893760&openflup&2&4#2

Here is a reasonably priced but good sounding choice for a preamp with a volume control: Bellari VP129 Tube Phono Preamp, $250 new and about $180 to $190 used. It works for headphones too!

Another preamp option is the Gemini PA-7000: Pre Amplifier With Built In Phono Stage available for about $100, which is a fully functional budget PA preamp that can switch between many sources - but will not have quite the same sound quality of the Bellari.

The Quad 12L Active speakers are $1100 new and $750 to $800 used. A great choice if you can make it work out money-wise.

Another option are the Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 Pro (active) Pair. Wharfedale is owned by the same parent company as Quad, and the Diamond 8.1 are good sounding and much cheaper little sisters of the Quad 12L Active. These are available new on Amazon for about $250. The slightly bigger Wharfedale Diamond 8.2 Pro (active) are also available new for about $350. I would recommend the larger 8.2's for the improved bass response and ability to fill your room with sound. One of the ways Wharfedale has cut cost is the cabinets are black vinyl instead of real wood veneer. The overall sound quality isn't up to the Quad standards (I own a pair of non-powered Diamond 8.1's in a second system), but they definitely provide many of the virtues of the Quads like open and balanced sound at a fraction of the cost.

If you opted for the larger Active Wharfedales, you could get the Bellari and a really decent used table all for around $1000, and I guarantee this set up would sound very good. Or you could get the smaller Wharfedales, the Gemini pre and a used table for about $700 total.
My thoughts are for now to buy the speakers and phono pre amp.

1. Quad 12Ls
2. Bellari VP129

Was also wondering what speaker cables to get. There was a suggestion to use Van den Hul's Snowline 14awg cable.

Once again, I appreciate all the suggestions.
I am recently got the Dynaudio MC 15 powered speakers and Sub 250 for a desk top driven system in my study....very very good. Suggest you give them a listen.