When I leave the empeg in the car I be sure to stuff a bunch of trash around it. I doubt a thief will break into a dirty car with obviously no stereo

I think most crooks are equal opportunity thieves. I sincerely doubt that trash is a deterrent.

someone could break into your house and steal your empeg just as easily as your car. Or worse yet you could end up in a situation or "your-empeg-or-your-life" if you carry it around everywhere.

I guess it depends on where you live and travel. In all of the places I'm likely to park, a car theft is orders of magnitude more likely than a burglary or a mugging.

Having had my car stereo stolen twice already, I know what it feels like to come out to your car and see the aftermath. It's bad enough to see that the car was broken into, but I'd feel extra stupid if I'd left the empeg in the car thinking "no one's going to take it because I left trash around it" rather than having taken it with me.

All of the fine "stealth" techniques discussed in this thread are really only useful in terms of reducing the chances of a broken window. I personally don't risk the empeg, and apply stealth techniques solely for the purpose of saving myself the repair bill.