Decided on the Salomon Quest 4D GTX. Seem a bit pricy ($230) but I have a zappos credit I have to use right now so meh. Plan to do long-distance hikes in hard terrain with them so will let /out/ know if this is a viable option. This YouTube made up my mind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDYq_mhBHZ0These guys sound a lot like me and they've both been very happy with them.