I already have a couple of empegs, so I didn't investigate this very closely. Does it look useful?

tanstaafl.

The Neo is pretty old. There's a comparison chart linked from the FAQ.

I owned one. It sucked! (But at the time was more in my budget than a new empeg)

Edit: some reasons why it sucked:
- Durability: Flimsy plastic with a bit of thin metal around it
- 3.5" disks, they can't withstand car use. You could use a 2.5" one with a converter, but that meant extra connections that could come loose.
- The random bug: If you had a playlist on random, it would start playing the same songs in the same order every time after bootup.
- backlit lcd screen, doesn't look right on a dashboard.

One good thing i can remember was the ide bay for in the pc (flimsy plastic again though), that meant faster music transfers than the usb on my mk1

I'm slightly surprised that there has been no discussion here about the Russian URAL ConceRt headunit. It seems pretty rare, more so than the Empeg. There is a lot of stuff crammed into a small unit. It seems to have a 2.5" HD, CD Player, Radio tuner, an internal amplifier, VFD, and some sort of developer community/forum in Russian. Oh, and it does Karaoke!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ7umG7cWe4
Info: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=ural%20concert
Pics: http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212264
Manual: http://www.cdd.ru/repository/UCManual_eng1.pdf

Wow- that's pretty cool!
Hmm- the last Ural 'concert' I heard was when I was on the freeway with one of these and the rod bearings went to lunch.

That thing is very cool and cheesey at the same time. Here are some more links:
http://www.cdd.ru/
http://www.magnitola.ru/URAL-URAL-ConceRt-SL-p-3358.html?manufacturers_id=32

Looks like it costs about $484. Not bad if it's halfway decent.

No trivial problem, that. That engine uses roller bearings for the main bearings and connecting rod bearings, and to replace them the crankshaft has to be completely removed from the engine case, then pressed apart so the crankpins can be replaced (if necessary) and the new roller bearings pressed on.

BTDT.

tanstaafl.

LOL- naw... just pop in a new motor. They're cheap.

I thought all Russian bikes were designed to be fixable by a hammer and a hunting knife...

Good eyes! I just glanced at the picture and assumed it was a BMW, but you are correct, that is the Russian rip-off. I don't know what mode of engine construction is employed there, but it is most likely conventional split-rod babbit bearings, and not the uber-expensive BMW roller bearing setup.

tanstaafl.

The bike is a Ural, hence the relevance in my original attempt at humor.
...and yes- roller bearings on the crank, just poor materials and workmanship.
I'm pretty sure the knife-and-hammer rules apply to the factory assembly methods, too. Cigarette butts in the gas tank, un-trued spoke wheels, wheel bearings without grease, carb floats that don't, and many other adventures in 'maintenance' are all part of the picture (or *were*, as all my experience is with Russian market bikes instead of 'export' versions).

Seems a lot like an empeg. But it rips CDs in the car? No good. Still, good to see something similarly well developed.

Yes, I actually really have the impression they took an Empeg as a model. Even the layout of buttons and knobs seems too similar: also, why putting the volume knob on the right side, UK-Style, otherwise? Of course, I am just guessing...

Anyway, I could not understand from their website if it ONLY gets MP3 from ripping the original CD in the car, or if it also accepts them via other means: usb, ethernet, etc... ? If it only rips CDs in car, that really bad, I think.