Large MP3 Player Recommendations

[bluesatin]

I've just recieved my student loan, and since I'm lodging at home I plan on using some of it for buying stuff for my course etc.

One of the objects I'm looking to get is an MP3 player with some descent earphones, and I've come here looking for recommendations of MP3 players that I don't have to use ridiculously restricting programs to get music on/off etc.

So my objective is to get an MP3 player with the following characteristics:

• 40GB+ storage for music

• Smallish size

• Don't need video playback

• Good sound quality

• Good build quality

• No ridiculous programs required to get music on/off etc.

I had been eyeing up an iPod classic, but as it's so bloody annoying to get music onto it without installing iTunes, as Apple has already killed the transfer plugins for winamp etc. several times that I know about.

So does anyone have any recommendations?

Oh and it'd be great if people could recommend me some good earphones for like £30-50 or so, I was looking to get some good canalphones but as there is no way of trying them before I buy it's a bit off putting...
Since the last pair I tried from a mate never fitted properly, probably because he had different size ears to me (:

[charleski]

I've been using a pair of Sennheiser PX100s for a couple of years, they're great, and they fold up.

The changes in the iPod classic have already been worked out, and Linux support is already available, so Windows plugins should get updated reasonably soon.

Other than the iPod, your only options are Creative and Archos I think.

[Funkstar]

I was going to suggest Archos, but they don't have anything that fits exactly with what you are after. They are either smaller capacity, or large screens. Really good players though. My AV500 is great, although quite bulky these days compaired to newer models (would really like a 605WiFi 160GB).

They are all mass storage devices that update their ow internal database when you unplug the unit, so no software needed at all and completely platform indipendent.

[bluesatin]

I guess iPods are my best bet then, it seems the iPod is more easily sorted than Creative stuff...

I spent forever trying to get a Creative Zen working on a friend's PC, and still it was really dodgy transfering stuff across...

Atleast iPod classics are pretty cheap :j

Thanks!

Oh and about the earphones, I mean like canal phones or anything, I don't fancy wearing them on the move, and besides I already have a good pair of proper over-ear headphones (:

[charleski]

Sennheiser CX300