VFD is not an ancient screen design. It is used very widely in audio equipment, car dashboards, head units, gaming machines, and other applications.

Speaking for myself, I love the empeg display. It pisses over any LCD technology I've seen on a head unit, partly because of the low persistence and fast refresh and partly because of the "feel" of it. The only thing I've seen which is better is OEL, but that has distinct disadvantages such as a poor MTBF.

As for the visuals - I've sat watching them for hours while chilling out with some excellent psychadelic trance. I can't say the same about any WinAmp visual - they're too jerky and under reactive.

The font.. is about as good as it gets in 8x7 pixels. Larger fonts are used in other parts of the player. In any case the entire UI is due a major overhaul for version 3.0 around the end of the year.

Rob