how can i connect my mp3 player to speakers?

go to your neares radio shack. Best buy or any electronic store and pick up a stand 3.5 mm (male) to a rca(red white) and that will hook you up to just about any sound system.

This will do the trick, though I'd shop around abit, you should be ablt to pick this up for even cheaper

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dynex%26%23174%3B+-+3'+Mini-to-RCA+Stereo+Audio+Cable/8424252.p?id=1181832400224&skuId=8424252

Logitech makes some excellent bookshelve speakers with sub's in your price range, another to give a look to is altec lansing as well.

You'd be better service by investing that same $200 in a quality computer speaker/sub system. A decently powered receiver will eat up most if not all of your $200 limit and you'll be left hitting up yard sales and flea markets for speakers to keep yourself from going over budget.

ditto on the previous comment on a simple connector.

many people make the mistake of wanting it louder when they really just want it to sound better. the power, size, and number of speakers should be dependent factors like indoor/outdoor, area size, number of people. not just how loud you can make it.

to your question on how high you can crank it, always always keep it a notch or two below the max. it can damage your equipment otherwise, plus it often distorts the sound. besides if you need to crank it up to max, your system is probably too small for the application. speakers sound best in the mid-volume range for what they were designed.