Almost a decade later...

I'm still using the Empeg Mk2 I bought in Feb 2001 as a present after working 320hrs in a month to close down a company where I was employee #1 after 5 years.

I installed my empeg during a standard Chicago winter where I'd be sitting out there in my Jeep trying to keep warm while crimping and soldering all the new cabling to handle installing my brand new Empeg.

I'm still driving the same Jeep and I'm still cranking my Empeg.

I've replaced the hard drive 1 time. (mostly to upgrade to 60GB)

I still find the Empeg to be a yet unduplicated unit. My friends who've seen it are all amazed at all it will do -- even TODAY.

Kinda interesting that so much time can go by and the functionality of a product has yet to be duplicated (and I mean ease of use as well as capability) even though current technology could easily provide such.

Anyway - I'm rambling.

Happy Holidays to all.

-Ben

Yup.

I still can't bear the idea of using an iPod to listen to my music. Just... not enough features for searching, sorting and organizing.

Heh... I generally listen to the empeg on down-downn-down mode, and I hate the thought of using an iPod. Does it even do enqueue, yet?

This is kinda cool:

http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2010/01/ces2000.html

Empeg got a mention "Devices like Empeg Car put MP3 technology as near as your dashboard, with a portable player that provides immediate access to 600 hours of digital music. The voice-controlled, plug-in unit allows 10,000 songs to be sorted into various categories, after they've been downloaded from a PC--and the player can be hooked up to any home system, as well...."

- Jon

Apple's iPod firmware isn't great, but if you selectively buy an older iPod you can run rockbox on it, which is much better.

But, yup, the empeg still has important features that set it apart from the rest.

I've learned to deal with the iPod's shortcomings. I just really hate that it does not display the album year during playback.

I've had an empeg since 2001. Last year I replaced it with an iPod+Apline. I've come to dislike the iPod and the Alpine interface both individually and combined. I am planning to go back to the empeg. I've not done so yet just because I've been using my car less.

I find it a bit sad that 10 years later noting better appeared in the market. And both my empegs have some issue here and there. Still, I can't use the Alpine (which at least sounds well) and the iPod (which, alone, just doesn't) any longer.

Still using my Empeg in the older car now. I am going to try using a Zune in the new car but not expecting to like it. Mostly I don't like the idea of fiddling with it in the car- the Empeg is easy to use while driving Zune and iPod isn't.

I bought my Empeg in 2002 and still have never replaced the hard drive. I leave my Empeg in the car rountinely in temperatures I shouldn't too (cold nights, warm summer days etc etc..). I can't believe it hasn't died yet.

Still using my MKII's in the Bristol and Morgan, and the MKI in the Land Rovers...

Still using my mk2a in the Focus. I did have to replace one of the disks a couple of weeks ago, though. So I swapped out the pair of 30s for a 60 from my old laptop.

Still using my Mk2a in the Scooby, still haven't wired up the rear speakers

Still using (one of) mine in my Volvo. I could really stand to repair the knob, though.

My 2x60 Mk2a is going strong and entertaining me in my Honda for an hour a day, every weekday.
The two spares will end up in cars one day.

Took me ages to move the MkII from my Impreza to the Foz. there is always something else to do! So glad I did, although SWMBO seems to like the Sony unit I popped into the Impreza so I get to keep my spare in my music room.

Only changes over time have been updates to firmware, and bigger disks, as well as a lot of messing around with filesystems and other Unix playing

Still using my empeg MKIIa in my Volvo and Benz, every day. However, since August 2008, I've almost entirely stopped listening to music. Now I use the empeg for podcasts, and am well served by the features. Bookmarking one to listen to another, marking podcasts I've heard for deletion, organizing related podcasts in nested playlists, etc. Unfortunately, an internet connected Android phone and the Google Listen app may replace this use of the empeg. When that happens, it will be a clear sign that I need to listen to more music and get back to the empeg.

Seven years of ownership, and many more to come.

i still have my riocar in my miata since 2002.

i also installed one last year in my ford escape

wonderful little gadget it is.....

Were you ever able to solve the alternator noise problem?

tanstaafl.

Still a MKII in both the Bristol and the Morgan, and a MKI in "field box" for the Land Rovers. Haven't found anything as good.

I had the empeg in my fiat tipo in 2001, brought it in my fiat coupè in 2003, and last year, brought it to my volvo c70, stored in the glovebox and adapted to the factory head unit (SC-901 with surround) with the blitzsafe RCA-CD-Charger adapter. Even after a two-years long repair and a display replacement (from another empeg I bought on ebay two years ago) my 'peggy still sounds, and feel, good. I can't imagine listening music in car with anything else. I'll forever thank Taym for introducing me to the empeg world and every one of you to keep this world alive!

it's funny how we become attached to these little things, several people i knew with these were very geeky and have since moved on to other things (ipad installs and the like -yuk!), I'm a relative newcomer to empegs really, first seeing one about 5yrs ago and buying my first about 2/3yrs ago.

I just love the simplicity of the things, I have two 'workers' and a spares unit though I will always grab another 'bargain' if i see it, I can see me using this for as long as I am able to eep the players running, it's great to have the units in place of hundreds of cd's, people are always fascinated by it, especially when i tell them they're ten yrs old and still better than my iphone when it comes to playing music. I do need to use it more though as i've forgotten how to use most of the features, search etc!

I do use my ip4 for music in the van... cos i'm lazy and haven't installed the peg yet but, it'll never take over in the house!

I'm also extremely greatful for this forum and you guys for keeping it online, had you not been here i'd have two dead players which would most likely be consigned to the bin, the support is most welcomed!

Hugh

That's okay... I can't remember the last time I used anything but down, down, down.

I recently finally unplugged my empeg from the system when I installed subsonic on the home servers.

I would love to be able to install subsonic on the empeg though - alas it requires java and is a bit too hefty memory-wise to play nice. :-(

How does subsonic compare to squeezeboxserver? I assume it does standard shoutcast streams, so I could use the rio receivers and the squeezeboxes in "dumb" mode...

You're welcome and it's good to see you're still around!

A decade later (almost to the month) and my original 10GB IBM Travelstar (build date March 2001) has finally died after making some grating noises for a while then starting to come up with segfault errors. Something was rattling around inside when I pulled it out so I ripped it apart and found a small metal lever loose inside - looks like it had something to do with the actuator assembly. Now replaced with a 40GB Samsung and all is well again!

The rattling is normal in a lot of those drives.

Uh-oh! I hope you realize that you just voided your warranty on that drive!

tanstaafl.

I put my old car back on the road recently, complete with empeg installation. It's damn good to have it again, although it seems to need a new rotary encoder and either a disk or anj IDE header resolder (getting "hard drive not found" on cold mornings.

I've now pretty much concluded that nobody will ever come out with a better car stereo of the kind - the emphasis now is all about portable device integration, which is mostly done poorly.

Rob

Yes, it went OK for a couple of years like that but then it must have become too loose and fell out of its locating socket. I think the lever had something to do with head parking. After it fell out I think the heads were able to swing freely across the platters when the disk was stopped hence the data loss and segfault errors.

Damn! Have I?

Yes.
I've been two years without it and there's no way I can adapt to anything else. Evrey button I press on my Alpine X100, or my Parrot 9200, I can't help thinking "this would've been so much faster, effective, versatile, better, easier if done on my empeg". And, the iPod in the glove box crashes e very now and then and I need to pull it out and reset it. So poorly implemented (and yet considered among the best iPod receivers ever...).

I've had my MKIIa for a very long time now, over 10 years. It's been in my Dodge Dakota for the entire time I've had the truck (since 2000).

The Truck has over 200,000 miles on it and all the paint is coming off of it. It will be repainted in January...

My empeg lost one set of hard drives in 10 years, two Fujitsu drives which they replaced for free. The rotary knob died, the remote had to have the buttons repaired with a pencil, and I had to install the cold weather cap mod for the display.

Other than that, it's been rock solid for the past 10 years. I just blew out my rear passenger speaker (Kenwood), damn you Eminem!

I can't imagine having to use a different player to listen to music with. I've accumulated several other units over the years and will always have an Empeg in my car

My wife's cars, well they are another story! They all get factory GPS units with entertainment systems LOL.

Hi All!

I have been a proud owner over a MK2a since about 2000. What a great piece of equipment, in both hardware and software. This site has been such a great help to me over the years and I can't believe this is my first post since 2004.
My player is starting to show its age a little, with a flukey rotary knob and a few lines on the display getting a little dim. I know I can fix the knob and hope to do that someday. I was excited to grab a MK2 on ebay recently and plan on fixing that up to be my main player and using the MK2a as a backup.

Now if I can just get my hands on a tuner! I might post somewhere about that.

Anyways... what a great community here!
and I too can't imagine using another player.

Thank you!

As I drove down the highway the other day I heard a song play and wondered about the lyrics... "my empeg could do that"

Bluetooth integration, wifi, built-in radio and a couple of inputs would make the empeg (with the same UI) better then anything I could find today.

It's funny I should find this thread now.

I've been away from an empeg for about 3 years, and am looking at selling my 2 live units, and my 1 dev unit.

As has been said over and over again in this thread, nothing has actually come to replace it. The iPod interface itself and the interface that head units used to interrogate the iPod are still clunky. Not to mention that I could happily spend an evening hacking the interface, and controller the way I wanted them.

I'm now looking to also get rid of my Kenwood W7044U, and BT-300, which is about a year old, maybe in favour of a Parrot ASTEROID.

I still think the limiting factor of the aftermarket iPod interfaces, is the iPod database.

Did you ever find another Tuner?

-Ben

I'm such an anti-fan of apple products for all sorts of reasons. I'm regularly amazed that people put up with all the issues that surround its use.

But then again.. most people drive automatic trans cars too. (shrug)

-Ben

Unfortunately a lot of cars are automatic only. I wish my newest car was available with a manual trans. (Ditto shrug)

And here I'm, just waiting for driverless cars, so that I can have the convenience of a personal vehicle, without the inconvenience of having to waste my time doing the driving. (Then I can restrict my real driving to a track, where I would, of course, insist on a manual.)

I just remembered the worst install competition I won in 2002. Also a decade has gone. Wow.
This picture is taken today. The Empeg is still on my desk and I'm still proud of it. Not just of it but also of the community. Hey, we are more than 10 years old and still we are together - well, more or less.

Do you remember the meet in Amersfoort in 2002, or was it in 2003 in real? Or both? Who knows..

And also my website built in 2002/2003 is still alive, remembering of it.
http://empeg.rowi.net

Are these the good ol' times, people talk about?

best regards from Germany..
Rolf

Amersfoort 2003!

Just got back from a rather rainy weekend at the Assen racing track. On the way we drove past Amersfort, and I fondly remembered all the Empeg meets... Well, I was running out of different vehicles to bring...

Things are looking up;

Riocar = Illuminated buttons, custom visual, now a new 40Gb HDD, with mlord new builds on, as old hdd clicking like Dorothy from the Wizard Of Oz.

Empeg = As was, v2 10 gb, fired up no probs.

Dev unit = Was getting annoyed with cf adapters, etc. Now with the new build, master and slave 2 x 8gb cf. working fine.

All displays okay.
Rotory knobs a little schizo due to use.

Happy Days!!

What's in contained in the 10 framed pictures?

I know, dumb question. I usually see Patent Grants in this format.

Ross

Those are empeg PCBs mounted as an award for the various contests at the meet.

That makes sense.

Thanks Tom!

Ross

Had a blast at Amersfoort - especially as I had just come from a 3 day team event from work (read 'piss up') at Noordwijk.

Good memories.

Coincidentally, just had a gig tonight, and after we came off the t-shirt I had to change into was an Empeg one, and I did get asked about it by a drunk goth :-)

Still have my empegs going strong - one in my office, one in the Beast. Long may they last :-)

Jane & I have got to catch your band live at some point. Maybe next spring/summer/fall (TBD).

We are still trying to work out logistics for a north american tour (mostly around financials for taking that much time off work) but if that comes off I will let you know (heh - I'd let everyone know, I'd be so delighted :-)

Failing that, the videos page on http://www.metaltech.me has some of our live nonsense.