Hunting for MP3 Player and Heaphones

[Maximu5]

I'm looking for a MP3 player with a quality microphone for audio recording in lectures. My current MP3 player is a Samsung 512MB with microphone, but I doubt the mic would pick any sound up well from more than 5 feet. The audio for lectures will be coming through speakers either overhead or at the front of the class.

Also, I'm looking for quality headphones at a reasonable price (nothing too high end - just for casually listening to music. I can order online either in Canada or the U.S. or pickup at certain stores in Canada. I wasn't sure of many stores in Canada that sell headphones - only Bestbuy, Futureshop, and 2001 Audio Video. I know Toronto has some stores but I won't be travelling there for a while (although I could get them shipped from T.O. or take a day to travel down and try some out).

Thanks for any information

 

[gigman]

It may be diffulcult to find an mp3 player with a good microphone, but my sandisk sansa e280 has served me well. as for headphones, the ones that come with it are very good. if you buy that, wait until you try the headphones before buying any new ones. the best price for that is probably from buy.com

 

[Maximu5]

Okay thanks for the reply gigman,

I know there are many opinions on preference between the Sandisk Sansa e280 and the Creative Zen 8GB. I've read that the e280 has some durability issues. Can anyone offer more advice? Perhaps on which has better sound quality...

Also I know I'll need to buy new headphones/earbuds if I want quality sound. How effective is the noise cancelling on ~$70 earbuds like the Sennheiser CX-300B or Ultimate Ears super.fi 3? I could use either headphones or earbuds, as long as the headphones aren't too stuffy - hot ears

Thank you

 

[dmacfour]

I hear the Cowon D2 is amazing... you can get it with 16gb now and it has an SD slot.

 

[Maximu5]

Thanks for the information about the Cowon D2 although it's ~$50 more than the e280 and creative zen when looking at the 8GB models.

Any other suggestions out there?

 

[gigman]

The creative is nice. Your right that the e280 has some durability issues with the buttons. I'm not an audiophile so I can't tell you much about sound.

You could also get a sansa fuze or view. They are both competitivly priced and much more durable than the e280.