...and been on the waiting list since July of this year and I still can't get one.

Whaddya mean you can't get one? There's one for sale on e-bay right now. As I recall, the auction closes today. What are you waiting for? It's how I got mine! :-)

Of course, I didn't intend for this to become an Empeg-versus-the-world thread when I started it. I just wanted to know about what else was out there. Rob: you don't need to get so defensive. :-) We all agree that the Empeg Car is the best thing since sliced bread. Although your points are absolutely correct-- there's a lot more features and potential in the Empeg. Mike: your point about availability is a good one, but it will be moot come this March.

I get the feeling that the MP Shuttle is made from more off-the-shelf components than the Empeg. It seems to me that nearly everything in the Empeg is custom made, hence the current component and availability issue. Sure, they could have done the Empeg Car like the MP shuttle, but then it couldn't have been a DIN-sized in-dash unit, which was the primary goal.

I have to admit, though, the MP shuttle sounds like it's the next-best-thing to an Empeg. A simple design using relatively inexpensive components to achieve an in-car high-capacity MP3 player. You gotta hand it to 'em for pulling it off.

Then again, now that I own an Empeg Car and I've seen how good it really is, I couldn't imagine owning anything else.