Well, the RTA analysis is not free, but only $20 for a session at a local shop. I want to dial in my whole system, I just replaced the front sound stage (new speakers in new locations due to added kickpanels) and I want to get everything dialed in. I plan to have the CD player installed by then as well, so I can also do pink noise testing with it to get evrything pretty close, and then look at the pink noise geenrated from the EMPEG to see if is similar.

Decoding the pink noise MP3 back to WAV and looking at an FFT of the pink noise (using MATLAB), it seems to actually be pretty close to the original, more so than I execeted (the pink noise still extends out to 20 kHz too).

And yes, unfortunately, you are right that IASCA won't let me use the EMPEG as a source. If so, I wouldn't even be putting a CD player back in the car. I asked them about the possibility of competing with WAVs ripped from their CD stored on the EMPEG - the answer was maybe in the future, but definately not this season (and it sounded like probably not next season either). I even offered to bring a laptop with a CD-ROM drive and rip the actual judge's copy of the CD while he/she was watching, letting him/her name the files, and then download them to the EMPEG - still no. Too bad.

Thanks for sending me your system diagram, very cool. Sounds like a lot of work to accomodate your MB quart front sound stage in the dash - but I bet it was worth it :).

BTW, I also have an XTANT amp (a previous generation model - 3300ix) and love it.

In the manner you have wired your sorce units, the source selector gives you the options to a) listen to the EMPEG directly, b) listen to the CD player directly, or c) listen to the CD player through the EMPEG... is that right? With the EQ curves flat, do you hear a difference between (b) and (c)? (i.e. to rule out MP3 part of the EMPEG player, so the primary difference is with and without the EMPEG DSP in the audio path).

I was considering a source selector as an alternative to routing the signals through the EMPEG. I was just going to make one with a DPDT relay controlled by simple diode/transistor logic based on the remote outputs of the OEM CD and EMPEG. I didn't really want to add additional compoenents though, unless I had to. I will check into Sony's source selector as well, I was not aware anyone made something like that for car use.

Thanks for all the info.... I don't have my system info updated yet, but you can see what I had last season and early this season at my website if you want....

http://www.mrmunsell.com

under audio, then CRX audio. Of course, quite a few changes have been made since the page was last updaed. I have the same amp rack, with 1 XTANT now. All the Morel speakers are gone..... replaced with 3 way DEI components (woofer in door, mid/hi in kickpanel) - no more rear fill. No more DEX-P1R. The sub and sub-encloure is the same still. Just haven't had time tor revise my site lately. W

hen I came across a used EMPEG for a good price, I ditched all the PC-based MP3 stuff I was working on that is mentioned there now :).

Thanks for all your insight into this. Glad to meet someone else already competing with an EMPEG in their system.....