I don't know if you've made your decision yet, but I am a nursing student using the Master Classic II and it works very well. It's a step up from the Classic II sound wise, and it's nice not having to change between the bell and diaphragm. I would reccomend the Master Classic II as a good starting stethoscope if you wanted to get one other than the Classic II. Though the Classic II is the most widely used stethoscope I've seen, so if cost is really and issue, I'm sure you'd do well with that one. And if you live in the US, amazon.com sells Littmann stethoscopes for a good price. Hope that helps!