I'm looking for a good MP3 player to take to work with me?

I would like to purchase an MP3 player that has good sound quality, has a long battery life and that is simple/portable I can use my regular earphones with.
I currently have an iPod touch 4th Gen and the sound quality is just not good, especially compared to my iPhone 4, it doesn't compare.
I don't think I want another Apple product and I want one at a low price as Christmas is coming and I'm running low on cash. I can sell my iPod for one.

Does anyone have a recommendation of what might be good for me?

We both have ZEN Creative mp3 players - have had them for years, and use them both daily. With cards, you can add tons of music. These are lightweight, and have decent battery life - and I also carry a small backup battery in my purse, maybe 1x1x4, that cost me a whole $5 at a cheesy store - but does the job (I also own a bigger one - 54mA - that cost me $13 on eBay - never spend like $125 for a Power Monkey, etc. - dumb); I might recharge in places that an outlet is not convenient (you can't use this player WHILE charging - that's the only drawback.) Sound quality meets our needs - and we're both professional classical musicians in NY, for decades. The quality of the earbuds you use is a huge factor - and you need to keep them CLEAN - not just the buds, but the plug and the socket. I have advised people here many times, who though that one earbud had died, to clean the plug and the socket (using a pipe cleaner barely moistened in windex, etc. ) to gently wipe the *microcrud* out of the socket, which is prevents full electrical contact. Heck - when one earbud starts crackling and I'm in a plane seat, in bed, etc. I have been known to take out the plug, suck it, wipe it, reinsert it - because Momma Spit cleans everything, don't you know. I *sleep* in Coosh earbuds - soft hook, soft buds, decent sound, cheap - I have owned a half-dozen of these - but on a plane, or for other noise-blocking, I use Etymotics. I keep them in a Nest case to take strain off the wires ( another reason earbuds die - but most of the time, it is dirt - if they even crackle when you spin the plug in the socket while wearing them, chances are, the wires are still OK).

You might find these used on eBay - more and more people stuff everything on their phones now, but I like having a separate player, for a variety of reasons. I load and reload things a few times a week - lots of podcasts, especially - and this thing has NEVER broken or quit. I got the hard plastic case to protect it - depends how rough you are on things.