I got a classic to replace my 30GB Ipod Video after it was stolen.  It has decent audio quality with a good set of IEMs but lacks the power to drive a set of larger cans.  It does have a bit of lag as others have said but is not really a big deal once you start listening to music and is unnoticeable when jumping from tracks, however there is a company that makes a kit to convert them to use a compact flash cards which would take care of any lag and can be had in capacities as large as 128GB.  The classic is extremely tough and I have had for about 4 years and it works just as well as the day I got it despite it being abused and dropped constantly.  The only other ipod I have found that is as tough is the original shuffle as that has been through the washer and dryer more than once and keeps on living.  I had an ipod touch as well but it no longer holds a charge and the headphone jack no longer works so it is pretty much dead to me.  As much as I like the Classic, I feel that the Ipod Video was the superior player and I would take a Video over a Classic despite the smaller capacity as it is MUCH thinner and has less lag plus it comes in white which looks way better than the Classic.  Overall the Classic is a fantastic media player and I highly recommend it, now if only apple would support FLAC they could have a great media player.