I have just recently discovered the Empeg player and have a few questions. I am intrested in buying one-- but a few things are holding me up...
First, I like my music good and loud like anybody else, but there is some news and radio talk I listen to in AM as opposed to FM-- is there an AM tuner included or on the future agenda? I have not seen any mention of AM tuner being included with the player-- am I missing something obvious here? I have noticed alot of digital audio products I have seen have been omitting the AM tuner.
Second, is there any kind of theft deterrent against those who know what it is you have in the car, or just against any thief period? I understand you can remove the unit, but I am not about to carry it with me to a nice dinner, shopping mall, dance club, etc. Is there any kind of encrypted PIN in the flash ROM that one could turn on? Or maybe a locking device that is enabled until a secret pin,password, or even a key is used?
Third, I am concerned about the hardware-- hard drives, CPU, flash ROM, etc. Is the unit designed for easy and inexpensive replacement/upgrade of hardware such as the CPU or hard drive. If I am going to pay $1000 or more for this-- I don't want to be buying a whole new unit to because a part has worn out or has become defective after warranty coverage. And say I want to change out the hard drive-- can I get one from a local hardware dealer or is this something that needs to come from an Empeg dealer because of specialized formatting, etc.
Are the cradles standardized, or are there different cradles for differnet cars. I have a 1995 Chevy truck, which as you know uses a larger head unit from the factory than say a Honda-- how well does that work and how does is look after it is in? Also I am contemplating getting a T-REX , which is an awesome hand-made Hummer look alike (www.jurassictruck.com)-- do you think your cradle will work with this truck too?
Obviously, not all installs will be the same from auto to auto-- regardless of wether or not Empeg has a single standardized cradle. Does Empeg provide everything to complete the job, short of tools? And if one doesn't want to do the installation-- can any able car audio shop install it without hassle?
Sorry this post is getting windy-- one last question, I know you have built some shock protection into the unit, but is going off-road going to shorten the unit's life in anyway from shock.

Thanks,
SS