I like to scan the For Sale forum on the BBS every now and then. Keeping up on going prices for empegs as well as what else is being offered. I just started thinking about something else: the people selling their units.

There are users from all walks of life and from pretty much every part of the planet reading and posting to the board on a regular basis. If you have to put things into their simplest forms however, I think a line can be drawn as to 'how much someone likes music the empeg way.'

Speaking on my own behalf: The empeg (riocar if you will) suits my need for music in the car so well that it would (will) influence my choice of vehicle. Don't get me wrong... I would never abandon the choice for a specific car to settle on some POS just because of an easy hookup and fitting. But I would make sure to get the empeg into the new vehicle. Whatever the cost.

The way I see it: Spending 100K on some new ubber-car is enough justification to spend an additional 5-10K to get a great empeg install. Even if the beloved empeg has to be fitted into a stealth location and outfitted with an external/remote display.

I do suppose that some have other concerns when it comes to vehicles, that they may not be able to make necessary mods for reasons other than finances (leased ride for whatever reason, fleet vehicle, exclusively ride a moped, whatever), but for me, there is simply no other product available that can replace the functionality of the empeg at this time. See a the "Long term value of an empeg" thread in the For Sale section for what would make for a future killer product.

Bruno

Agreed! I am certain there will come a time when "something better" will come along (probably brought to us by the same folks who brought us the empeg to start with). At that time, maybe I will consider retiring my player. Until then, not a chance!

Since I got my empeg (and another shortly after) I dont listen to the radio or cd's. All of my cd's are in my empeg and the radio in Newberry, SC just stinks. When I show my empeg to people the first thing they say is "where can I get one!?" When I tell them they are no longer made they can't believe it. I have seen many atempts by companies trying to make good mp3 players but they all stink for one reason or another. The thing that really gets me is that there is no other player that comes close to the empeg. I just know that if the empeg were re-released that they would sell like crazy, after all if people are buying that sony thing with the hard drive in it for $1500 they would trow it away to get an empeg.

I just wanted to add that before I got my empeg I had a apline cd changer system in my jaguar xj-s but it has been sitting in a box ever since I got the empeg.

everyone thinks I have a XM satllite radio.
Most of the world, including the United states, doesn't know what a MP3 is.

Those that do usually [censored] their pants when they see my player, even though it's all beat up. I had some requests from celebrities to help them procure it, but to be honest, most of them don't drive enough to really make it worth my time or theirs.

After the Texas Meet, robricc miltioid and I were hanging out and watched some guy loading up his CD changer at the lake, at which point Rob said something to the effect of "A CD changer, how boring..." or something like that... Then we got to watch someone almost do this, again(totally unrelated to the thread, but darn funny):


I know I need my empeg, (and TiVo) life is just too meaningless withut them since i am so accustomed to having them around...

WOW.. er.. umm... how did that happen ! ?

They forgot to undo the straps that hold the boat down to the trailer. And knowing how lots of the local boaters are here, alcohol might have helped this along. But it's a testimonial to how well this particular boat floats, that's about 12 feet of water they're in, floating most of a 1/2 ton Chevy truck...

But it's a testimonial to how well this particular boat floats,

I'm sure this fact more than made up for their troubles!

And a trailer holly crap.

...and with a bit of luck, there'll be enough spare parts around for retirement to be quite a way off....

I just know that if the empeg were re-released that they would sell like crazy,

Probably not.



tanstaafl.

Honestly, I think the Empeg's biggest barrier to success was the fact that it wasn't re-branded or adopted/bought-out by a name brand car stereo manufacturer. If these things were the "Alpine" or "Kenwood" MP3 Car player, I bet they'd be selling like hotcakes.

It's stupid when you think about it.... but the majority of car audio fanatics are big on brand recognition. I've had a number of car audio nuts look at my Rio and comment that they were extremely impressed by what it could do, but they'd still rather "wait for Sony or Kenwood or someone" to release a more "professional" version of the same thing.

Perhaps part of the problem was the casing/front plate design. Honestly, multi-colored displays are in-vogue right now, so a single-color flourescent screen gives a bit of a dated appearance. Also, the pull-out design feels dated to some people. They want a unit with a removeable face or something.... Trying to explain that this method allows it to be used in the home doesn't cut it for them. They just think the part that gets removed should be a seperate CD-changer like box in your trunk then, but the head-unit part should stay put.

Killer product (or accessory): Portable player (think iPod or Rio Karma) that docks with a standard-like CD head unit (with removable face).

Bruno

You could have the portable portion hold some of the music collection and have the car dock be the master storage. You could remove/add playlists/songs on the portable on the fly depending on your mood/need.. It would be rather bulky though considering what's already stuffed into the empeg, but without the VFD you could gain some space.

Killer product (or accessory): Portable player (think iPod or Rio Karma) that docks with a standard-like CD head unit (with removable face).

Like I said in another thread: Dension showed that at CES this year.

Also, the pull-out design feels dated to some people.

Or inconvenient. I myself used to think that if it wans't for the computer-like features (bringing the empeg at home, playing with it, attaching to the home stereo, etc) I would have disliked having to pull out my empeg every time.
Now that my car has been stolen, I frankly consider that a great feature. If I had to buy any other conventional head unit (which hopefully will not happen until something better then the empeg comes out), then my main concern now would be that they cannot be fully removed from the car when you leave. Of course a conventional head unit would not be as important to me as my empeg, dvd players, sat system, and so on are still nice and valuavble things, and I would never want to leave them in the car.

As of now, being a full pull-out device is one of the most important features of the empeg, to me.

Like I said in another thread: Dension showed that at CES this year

That is interesting. I am afraid I skipped the other thread you mention. Do you have any picture or ref on the web? Sorry if you already posted them.

Thank you!

Yup, I agree. My vehicle is a tool for me to get to one place to another or haul something. It is *not* a status symbol and therefore I have no issue with taking a hack saw to it if need be to make it do what I want it to.

I just don't understand all the people that buy expensive luxury or sports cars and then are too afraid to rip out the $hitty stereo. I guess it's the "form over function" mentality.

-Hoagy.

Do you have any picture or ref on the web?

http://www.dension.com/repablak/dh101.dw?nyelv_id=2

That claims to be a ``removable hard disk cartridge'', not an independent MP3 player.

I don't necessarily agree with this. Hacking apart a dashboard/console to install a stereo is a serious hit on the resale value of the car, unless you are sending the stereo with it (and I know I'm not sending my empeg with the car when I sell it ).

Right now, I'm trying to decide between two cars, and if it comes down to it, ease of installation (ie, not chewing up the dashboard) will be the deciding factor.

I've never understood the thought process behind going into a purchase already thinking of selling it.

Regardless, order a second dash. Then you can replace the one you've torn up with a pristine one.

That claims to be a ``removable hard disk cartridge'', not an independent MP3 player.

The thing that gets removed is this:
http://www.dension.com/kepek/60.pict

I wouldn't say 'already thinking of selling it'. I would say 'keeping the most value intact'. That doesn't mean not having fun, but I don't do things like bumper stickers.

A second dash is definately an option I didn't consider before. I wonder how much they cost, and how well it would hold up in my workshop through the years.

The thing that gets removed is this:
http://www.dension.com/kepek/60.pict

Which is fortunately delivered as text/plain. Nice.

Anyway, the text on that unit claims amongst its features:

Stand-alone player features for home use

That's the only reference to actually using it for playback outside the head unit. If it was a portable player, they'd say do. Sounds to me like it'll require an external power supply and doesn't have a battery.

Which is fortunately delivered as text/plain. Nice.

Yeah, I hate it when web servers do that. The worst part is, Internet Explorer still displays the image properly, so those who view the web site with IE (including the site's designers) don't know there's anything wrong. Grrr.

In any case, if you eventually get the picture, it looks like any hard disk portable, essentially. I actually had the guy at the Dension booth showing it to me, I got to manhandle it. It's decent. It's only barely bigger than a loose 2.5" drive. I can't comment on the software, though, since I didn't mess with it.

yep.. i walked into best buy one day to see what they had for a case for my empeg.. and the kid working the car stereo area said "a pull out stereo, wow, that must be old" i chucked, and didn't figure he was worth informing..

the other car stereo place I shop knows me as "the empeg guy".. then again.. i bought all the amps and other accessories for my system there..

I think I met that kid... I'm certin his parents never asked him to make the VCR stop blinking 12:00