I watch Alton Brown, so I'm an expert.... not really, but I am a chemist and a coffee lover. I also brew with a $14 after rebate Mr. Coffee.
The secret is to try to introduce the water to the coffee at about 181-185 degrees. You also want the coffee to be as vertical as possible. The water flowing down passing over a lot of coffee is favored because it reaches saturation. Once it reaches saturation it can only rinse off coffee from the grindings below it, not dissolve more acids and caffeine from the flake itself.
The problem is, those two functions are in opposition; the more coffee the water passes through, the cooler it gets on its way. Flat, wide baskets on the other hand keep a more even water temperature the whole way through the coffee, but it also means that fresh, unsaturated water is constantly hitting the coffee and its dissolving more components out of the flakes. This can lead to a fully-developed coffee flavor (from the proper temperature water) but also lead to sour or bitter coffee (because there is more being dissolved out of the grounds) Conversely, the cone filtered models can lead to supreme coffee chemistry (saturated water and a tall pile of coffee) but undeveloped coffee flavor (water is too cool by the time it reaches the pot). Its a subtle difference.
I prefer the cone style because (while it means the possibility of cooler temps in the bottom of the filter) it usually makes little difference, especially on full pots of coffee. The first few cups of water brew sub-standard coffee, but they effectively heat up all the grounds. The last 8 cups makes up for the first 3.
The other thing is how much coffee you use. Using less than normal means you'll have the same effect as using a wide, flat basket. The first few cups will dissolve all the good parts of the coffee, and the last few cups will just continue to strip the flakes of all the acids, tannins, and other bitter compounds. If you like your coffee weak, add hot water AFTER its brewed.
Water temperature is also important as mentioned above. If its too cool, your coffee will taste like coffee-flavored water. If its too hot, it will be able to dissolve more of the "bad" chemicals from the flakes. Most coffee pots are pretty good at introducing correct-temperature water.
The best coffee maker is one that doesn't worry about tall or flat filters. If you surround each ground with proper temperature water, its not an issue. That is what makes a French Press so yummy. The only limit is time. If you add water at about 190, it will almost instantly drop to 185 when it hits the room-temperature press and coffee grinds. The limit is having a design that will keep the temperature from dropping below 180 in the time it has to brew. For that reason, choose the larger capacity press since more water means slower cooling. There are also insulated models which I like a lot.
The other factor that has a small amount to do with things is how quickly the water moves through the filter. One of the reasons Bunn coffee makers have such a good coffee flavor is that they're quick for the food service industry. They don't have time to linger around and pickup the "bad" chemicals from the flakes... but they also don't have the time to pick up the subtle goodies from the coffee. It makes a good coffee, but it makes "coors light" coffee, not a fine ale.
So which one should you get? I use a flat basket. Since I use a little more coffee than most do, it helps cut down on the overstripping of the coffee. The benefit is more even water temps through the basket. If you use less coffee than most, a cone filter might help you out. In that case you are using the height of the coffee to prevent overstripping, and the fact that there is less coffee helps keep your temperatures even. A french press (since it surrounds each flake with constant water) should be used by people who really like their coffee on the espresso side. Since all of the flakes are surrounded by water, the chance for overstripping is much greater. For that reason you want to use more coffee. That way the water becomes saturated with the good stuff and then doesn't have room for the bad stuff.
So, if you put all of those together, you can custom tailor how you want your coffee to taste. Select a roast and bean that you like. My favorites are actually from Starbucks. They're a little cliche, but they're big and crank out reliable consistent product. The Christmas Blend is my decaf choice. Komodo Dragon is a top notch roast; really dark but not bitter or overbearing. Sumatra I think they over caramelize the bean. Breakfast blend and House are too complex. It just ends up tasting like coffee that is too strong. Now that you have your roast, grind it a little finer than you normally would (you do have your own grinder, right?). Regardless of roast or grind, start with 2Tbs of coffee per "cup" of water. I put that in quotes because some coffee makers use anywhere from 4 to 7oz as a cup. Adjust up and down from there. Adjust up until your coffee is just too strong to bear or starts getting sour or cloudy. Come back down by about 20%. If its still too strong, lighten it with extra cream or hot water.
Truly... once you find the right roast and the right proportions, even the cheapest coffee maker will be up to the task. Like I said, I brew with a $14 Mr. Coffee with the flat basket. I use about 2.5T of coffee per cup, so that helps cut down on the water stripping too much from the flakes. If I were using less coffee, the cone filter would probably suit me better.
Just remember; keep it between about 180-185 degrees, and the main secret is to dissove the good stuff, but not overstrip it. Its always better to make coffee that is too strong and then dilute it than it is to make weak coffee.
