If you think about it, there is not one single function in operating the empeg that requires or is even able to use a numeric entry!

Actually, there is one: in the top level menu (Playlists, Shuffle, etc.) pressing 1 jumps to Playlists, 2 to Shuffle, ..., 9 to Sound. The Sound menu works the same way. On the other hand, in the Info and Visuals menus the alphabetical shortcuts are enabled. How's that for a consistent interface?

Borislav