Can someone help me pick out my first speakers?

+1 for Wharfedale Diamonds

At that price point I really don't think you can go wrong with these: 

Open box special. Was $349 now $279 and Music Direct has a generous 30 day no hassle return policy. I had the slightly bigger 12.2 and foolishly let them go.

buy from music direct or crutchdfield

anything with at lesst a 6 1/2 inch woofer will make u happy. 

5 inch woofers are too small for good bass. 

wharfdale, elac, etc

@avanti1960 you're right. I only suggested the 12.0 because it was in budget for the OP. 

Congratulations! If you get a pair of these Paradigm PW300 on sale you will have an entire streaming system. You won’t need an amp because they are powered speakers. You can download an app to your phone and stream from many sources such as spotify, pandora, tidal, and even local files you already own.

Review:

https://www.soundstagesimplifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/32-paradigm-pw300-wi-fi-loudspeakers

If you want to connect a source like a CD player or a subwoofer you can get the PW600. Remember, you won't need amps or speaker cables: