mp3 + eargear advice much appreciated!

Hi guys,

I'm a European guy whose iPod has died a few weeks ago. I'm looking for a new mp3 player, but am drowning in the overload of information and reviews! Therefore, I'd appreciate your advice a lot.

1) Qualities I'm looking for:

- SOUND QUALITY (important! I admit I don't always have good quality mp3 files, but I do have some at cd quality and would like to listen to them in good quality)
- space (I'd like as much as possible, but am happy with less if sound quality and price are optimal. 16 gb is a bare minimum)
- shock resistance (not planning to climb mountains with it but it has to survive randomly falling on the ground now and then)
- compatibility with Mac OS X software
- dictaphone and radio FM are a big plus (though not an absolute condition)

2) Qualities I don't mind for AT ALL:

- about any possible accessory imaginable: wifi/internet/games/videos/...
- design (although it shouldn't be an esthaetical disaster )

3) Price:

preferably 200-260 dollars, with a maximum of 300 dollars (eargear INCLUDED)

4) Devices I'm currently thinking about:

- Sony NWZ S639: supposedly the sound should be great, the delivered eargear should already be nice, radio FM, but capacity is the minimum
- Cowon S9 32 gb: great sound quality, but I heard that the maximum loudness is limited. It's also very expensive
- Sony NWZ X1050: again great SQ, but expensive and not as much capacity I'd like

(I'm not looking into iPod, 'cause I heard the iPod Classic is not optimally shock resistant - the guy from the Apple store even advised me not to buy it for that reason! and their SQ is not optimal. The Nano 16 GB DOES have a dictaphone AND radio though )

5) My questions to you: Which sound source do you advice considering what I'm looking for? Do you know other devices with a good SQ/capacity/price ratio? And what do you advice as eargear? (maximum 70 dollars)

Thanks for your advice, Behemot.

However, I've heard from various sources that other players can work with an Apple computer too (eg Sony, iRiver, ...) I was told I'd just have to install their software on my mac and I'd be ready to go. Is this just not true or are there some limitations I don't know about?

About dropping the player: I don't do that on purpose but now and then it can accidentily let it drop out of my pocket. My old iPod seemed to tolerate that quite well (although, eventually, it did die). Are harddisk players the ones with bigger memory (eg iPod classic)?

Can I assume that the EU sound limit of the Cowon players is not a hinderance anymore when I get myself a good pair of headphones?

Thanks again.

Any more tips? (wanting to buy this thing this week, so need to make up my mind )

If you're looking for sound quality (and secondly, capacity), what is the best deal for under 250 dollars: Cowon D2 or Sony X and S series? Or is the iPod Nano a relatively cheap alternative with good sound quality if attached to the right headphones?

Thanks in advance for any replies!

Thanks for your reply, rawster.

Some more questions you might be able to help me with:
1) How much capacity can you add to the Cowon and how expensive would that be?
2) How about Sony players: are their capacities expandable too?

Thanks again.

Hmm, so what exactly is that card then that can expand the storage?

I've made up my mind:

I'm going for the Sony S545.

It seems to have great sound quality from what I hear, and I don't want to be spending too much (so no Cowon S9 for me). I also like the fact it has radio and allows voice recording, and that it has a supposedly warmer sound (which rules uit the Cowon D2).

Two more questions:

1) Do the Sony players work with Mac (can I drag files onto them from iTunes on a 2004 Powerbook version 10.3?)

2) Which pair of reasonbly cheap earphones (60 dollars maximum) would go best with these for someone with a broad music style (classical, pop, elektro, but with a preference for jazz, esp. jazz vocalists)? Sennheiser 300-CX or PX 100? I can't get Grado's over here.

Thanks again for your replies.