As I just bought ,a Zeno Nano Plus 512 mp3 player for working out as it sure is small & light would appreciate someone please summerizing what the difference is between the following & clarifying them (If there's a web page that offers a good into to this stuff would appreciate a link):

1. Wave files, WMA files & MP3 files- Specifically do they all produce the same overall sound quality to the human ear or are there noticeable differences that you could tell right away? At what bit rate should you record on to get the best sound quality-64, 96, 128, 192 or more?
If space is not an issue what would you recommend recording at? Do you hear less of a difference on ear buds then speakers for these?

2. IPODS and mp3 players- Are these the same things? Flash players & Non flash players- can you you only flash players for running & working out- they're the only ones that won't skip? Assuming you have a CD collection, what again is the purpose of an IPOD?

3. Do some mp3 players sound different then other mp players.

4. What ear buds would you recommend for sound & comfort? I just bought Sennheiser MX-400 In-Ear Headphones for $10 as I couldn't find any ear buds under $200 that had good recommendations for both comfort & sound & these had the best overall.