i was one of those ignorant lucky person who only heard about empeg at the time of the final liquidation. i debated buying 10 or 20 gb and then just decided to go for the 20 for $299. it is cheaper compared to the newer pioneers and blaupunkts coming out. but the main selling point for this unit was the pull out and upgrade feature. no other unit anywhere offered that. even that secure key deal from blaupunkt is a bit flawed but that's another story. as soon as i get this beast hooked up i'll be much happier.