Binocular talk

My interests keep moving since I discovered astronomy a few weeks
ago. I was set on getting a setup for astrophotography, but I found some
binoculars at my mothers house, and now I'm hooked on bino's. I think it
would
be best to just observe and learn the sky. These bino's are Tasco 9x50.
Judging
by the view of the moon, I would say they are equivalent to a 4.5 inch Newt
with a 22mm eyepiece (perhaps a tad less). Admittedly, I haven't been out
of
the city with these bino's, but I plan to drive up to some peak around
Flagstaff. I
am currently in downtown Phoenix. Assuming I want to upgrade to a better
bino's,
would a larger aperture be in order? I looked at reviews for large bino's
and it
seems that many have optical problems. I would like to spend a few hundred,
but that seems to be where the problems are. The Fujinon 16x70 (600-700 $)
has
good reviews, but at www.bigbinoculars.com, they are backorded, and other
sites don't even carry them. I think many people are rushing to Fuginon
since the
comet discovery using them (a $40,000 pair I would assume). Any comments or
suggestions?
Thanks,
-Tom