Looking for Player Recommendations

[theonesin]

I posted on another forum once to ask for suggestions on a good, relatively cheap MP3 player when I was just looking to upgrade from an actual portable CD player I used. But then someone mentioned RockBox, and I started to obsess a little over wanting a player that could use it.

Christmas comes around, and while I didn't get any players, I did get enough money to buy one ($130). I originally set my sights on a Sansa Fuze 4GB player, as it had plenty of storage for me and was relatively cheap (about $60). The problem though is that I know that model has two different firmware versions, of with the V2 which I'd be more likely to find, is not compatible.

From my search on this forum, it seems that RockBox for V2 is in development, so I'm wondering if I should go ahead and pick up the Sansa I was looking at with the expectation that RockBox will eventually work on it? Or should I look into another player entirely that is already known to be compatible?

If you have any recommendations for players, I have a few requirements. For one, try not to go above $80 if you can. Other than that, I have no brand preference (as long as it's not a known crappy one). Though probably the most important requirement is WHERE I can find the player. Either something that can be found in-store (I have access to the major stores around here: WalMart, RadioShack, Best Buy, Sears, etc), or on Amazon.com (it's the only site that we already have an account set up. Can't really deal with eBay).

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[bluebrother]

Have you already checked the BuyersGuide wiki page? It seems to be a bit outdated right now, but might be good for an overview anyway.

[j8048188]

I'd recommend getting an e200 series player.  All of them are supported.