best MP3 player

I was almost sold on the M3 after discovering it, but have reconsidered after reading about the problem of music skipping at the end of the track.
So, I know this is a Meizu forum, but what would you consider the "second best" mp3 player?
I'm most interested in sound quality, no fuss drag & drop w/ usb connection, and simple user interface. And obviously, the player needs to be able to handle mp3s ripped @ 192 kbits/s and higher without skipping.
Thanks

There are too many choices, and asking for "best" I'm assuming you are not really expecting objective answers...

well, no, not objective answers.
there seems to be a lot of people on here who are knowledgeable and were / are interested in the M3 for the reasons I was initially drawn to it.
was interested if there was a consensus or majority opinion recommending a very comparable product.

yeah as Err0r said, it is obviously a matter of opinion. However.....here are a few which have been highly praised and should fit your criteria.

Sony NWZ-A828K (whole 820 series)
Sony NWZ-A818 (whole 810 series)
Sony NWZ-S610 (whole 610 series)
Cowon D2
Iriver Clix 2
Samsung P2 (does not have drag and drop file transfer though)
Creative ZEN (may not have drag and drop file transfer either, can't remember)
iAudio 7

From personal experience I would reccomend sony players highly, they have great sound, great build quality & great battery however they are pricey. They have just released a new 16gb model in the 820 range that looks very nice. The Cowon D2 is also a favourite but again is a little pricey. Also check dapreview's poll section for info of what members voted as the best daps.

DAPreview.net: MP3 Player News and Reviews

I can understand ur frustration with the M3 though, I have wanted to buy one as a small player for use when excercising for a while, but the stuttering has definitely put me off, I prey they fix that soon. Other wise my next meizu purchase will be the M8.

hope this helps...

Thanks, sere83
That definitely helps. I read several people mention that they were "sticking with their Sony" on the thread about audio skipping w/ the M3.
I'll probably go that route because I don't want to wait on a fix that may or may not be happening.

Personally I would go for the Creative ZEN, but frankly, I don't experience any problems with my Meizu players.

Sandisk Sansa Clip. It is supposed to have excellent sound quality, though format support is kind of limited. But then it isn't exactly expensive...

It matters what you're into. Are you interested in watching videos? Any other preferences you have?

I will sent back my M3 player (to much problems and i don't like being a beta-tester!!!)
The next one will be a iaudio7, exellent sound, no prorietary software like Sony, Creative, Aplle and so on. And a accu life for 50 hours non stop musik.
Ok it is very expensive (in germany) but by the experience with meizu i will like pay more money to get a product that keeps one's promise.
(if so, sorry for poor english)

iAudio 7... good choice. =)

I've been taken in by the dark side, i have recently thrown a 16gb flash drive and a new 800mah battery into my daughters old 2nd gen mini. Using rockbox and a line out device into a mini amp the sound quality is superb.

I'm sorry to blaspheme by saying apple here, but it's true, the sq is very impressive indeed

I don't have any problems of music skipping at the end of the track with my M3. (if it happens, it's very rare and I don't even notice it) I have had my M3 for a year now and I have used it everyday.

No, i have seen the light again- Meizu m3 kicks ipod butt. Sound quality on the m3 is extremely good, and as for the fabled skip it happens so rarely it isn't worth worrying about. Nice work meizu

... I thought so

After using Meizu, I now find the sound quality on a lot of players unlistenable.