However, to be honest, the empeg MkII (and the MkI as well, if not much more) does look cheap.

I was thinking about that this morning as I looked at the face of the stereo while driving to work.

I don't think it looks cheap, but I can see why someone might get that impression. It doesn't have all the flashy silkscreen printing all over the face that other aftermarket stereos have. Honestly, I think that's the only reason.

In terms of overall "looks", the Empeg is actually quite attractive when it's installed in the dash of the car. I think it looks better than most aftermarket stereos, precisely because it doesn't have the flashy silkscreen printing.

I think this has a lot of benefits:

- Less conspicuous to thieves (as we already discussed).

- Matches the vehicle's interior better (aftermarket stereos always look out-of-place because of all the printing on the stereo faces).

- If the Rio Car is ever sold in retail outlets, it will "stand out" on the rack next to all the other me-too stereos with all the flashy printing.

- It's a great backlash against the increasingly gaudy aftermarket stereo styles.

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Tony Fabris