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sbuch,
Fuze, the original v1, uses a different chipset (DAC + Amp) than Clip+ and Fuze V2. I think Clip Zip is an option to consider as well. It may be using the same chip as Fuze+ (though they all sound the same, there are volume differences between Clip/Fuze v1 and Clip+/Fuze v2 with the latter being louder at the same volume level).
iPod Classic most probably uses a Cirrus Logic DAC. My memory fails me at this point, but I think I have heard a few Cirrus Logic DACs. The only one with a good implementation is UHA-6S. It's not a surprise that "
By day, owner Nick Leckerton works as an Application Engineer for Cirrus Logic, helping other companies implement Cirrus chips into their products" (quoted from
here)
iPod's sound signature is flat as well. It's amp section is more powerful than the Sansas. It's separation is likely to be better, sound stage size is also likely to be more. But, the iPod Touch 3G I had seemed a bit 'cold' to me. It was a little lacking in emotion. Not sure if that's the case with the Classic as well. The advantage of Classic is that Rockbox may become stable sometime in the near future, which should allow you use formats like FLAC. It likely has a better battery life than Sansa (15 hours?) and has more storage capacity (though it's a HDD).
Hippo Gumstick and Nanite N2 are both Cube C30's versions. I have owned the N2 before. While many like and prefer N2 over Clip+, I thought that while power, sound stage, warmth and BBE effects were in favor of N2, it's lack of tag support, gap-less playback, small screen were major, major downers. I did not find it to be better in SQ, just on equal terms with Clip+.
As for your question, here is the tricky issue suggesting without knowing your preferences in detail - What I do not think as important (sound stage size for instance) may be very important to you. So, you might like and prefer N2 and iPod Classic over Sansas. If your friends have any of these players and you can try them, it should be the best route possible. In the absence of that, I am going to say that Clip+ / Clip Zip is a good option. E7 is not as powerful, it works only with IEMs. So, you can buy a E12 whenever it's available IF and ONLY IF you need more driving power than what Clip+/CZ offers for your existing IEMs and Headphones.
