For me, Cheap + Loud = Horrid....

If you want a loud car stereo, you want the head unit output to be as clean as possible, or else you'll just end up with amplified noise..
My car stereo sounds almost as good as my home setup (Cambridge audio with Eltax speakers), and it's very loud (If I choose to turn it up above 2/5 =)

The empeg isn't just a car stereo, it's a mobile computer.. =)
Jazz