I have owned my Empeg for almost a year now and i must say, this is the best purchase of a audio conponent I have ever made.

I was on the que to get a MK1 but when my number came around I was between jobs and therefore could not afford one. When I came back into "dinero" I started to look around for a good Mp3 player I could use in my car and actually forgot about the Empeg product and I purchased a Neo 25 "brick" and used it for a while. It eventually broke as they had a problem with their soldier joints. I bought one of their Neo 25II and still use it as a USB file transfer device but I needed something that does not need to be resoldiered every week.

When the Sonic Blue "Rio" firesale happened, I bought 2, one for daily use and one as a backup and I have been happier than a pig in slop ever since. When I show it to any IT person out there I get praises and cheers for the product. Most want to know where they can purchase one and are really disappointed when they find out that it is NLA.

Thanks Hugo and the rest Cambridge bunch for creating the best darn musical player(s) on the market.

If you guys ever come out with another player, I would take the leap and purchase one as soon as it came out.

AOL, I find out new stuff about it everyday. It's like a never-ending box of chocolates. I wonder if it can be programmed to brew coffee and make toast in the mornings.

Amen, brother. New stuff happening all the time. A little while ago, it was the buttonhack. This week, GPS. Coming up, tuner kits. Perhaps soon, Ogg support.

Can't wait to see what's next.

When I show it to any IT person out there I get praises and
cheers for the product.

I still have no case, so when I carry it, it's pretty obvious that it's a pullout car "stereo"; I get a lot of questions. It usually takes one exchange before they get the "it's not a radio, the music is in it" but then they're typically impressed.

I've said it before, and Ill say it again.. Sonic Blue really screwed up. They shoulda let the boys tweak the product into the "Mark 3" or whatever, and release it as a $999 fully-consumerized product.

EVERYtime I show this to anyone, be they computer geek (Ohhh neat, how much does it hold?) or car stereo punk (WOW, where can I get one NOW!) or even soccer mom (Do you have any James Tayor on there?) theyt want to know where they can get one. Without a doubt this could STILL be a top seller. Hell, if SB would pursue some OEM deal with a car maker, or even license some mid-fi car audio company to make it I STILL think it would be a success.. IF they got off their ass and advertised it. The public just doesnt know that these products even exist. Once you show them how much easier it is than messing with CDs, and how really easy it is to work it, they are hooked.

Eh, whatever... I got mine thats all I really care about. <Steps off Soapbox>

-Jeff

No my friend, stay on the soapbox! Preach it and amen.

Once you show them how much easier it is than messing with
CDs, and how really easy it is to work it, they are hooked.

My wife still thinks she wants CDs occasionally. I will put aside my "she is wrong" and instead say that if you just went to e.g. a concert and picked up a CD from an artist, maybe, maybe you would.

I already own the music from the artists at any concert I might go to, so I don't care

I have eac and lame on my laptop, which stays with me most of the time, with a usb cable run under the dash and through the console...15 minutes and whatever cd you have is on my empeg....

Micman,

I have a somewhat similar, somewhat different story. I first heard of the Rio Car *during* the firesale, and was lucky enough to pick up two for myself. They sat on the shelf for quite awhile until last week, when I had a stereo shop install it in my '95 BMW M3.

I have to say that this is by far one of the coolest toys I've purchased. Every one of my friends has been awed by it, and most want to know where they can get one. Again, they are dismayed when they find out that it is NLA. What's interesting is, my friends range from hardcore computer geeks to total tech-illiterates, and all of them want one. The problem with the Rio is definitely that, quite simply, nobody knew about them. I only stumbled upon them while searching SonicBlue's site for a home MP3 receiver.

My friends and I did a lot of travelling this past weekend, a grand total of about 600 miles over three days to go see some sights. I am proud to say, the Rio Car was the star of our trip. Imagine my joy when someone asked if I had any Weird Al Yankovic, and I was able to bring up EVERY album of his so we could pick through them and relive our childhood. Fantastic.

For those looking for other great travel ideas, I suggest you assemble a collection of comedy MP3s from the likes of George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Adam Sandler, and the like. It's a great way to pass the fun with lots of laughter.

- Chris

Amen on the comedy. I have nearly all Bill Cosby's recorded repetoire on my empeg. Its a nice break when I travel to have comedy interspersed into the music. I also have movie clips from Matrix, Ferris Bueller, Dragnet, etc.... short stuff just to be humorous. Meatballman and I toyed with the idea of recording a few fake psa's and station tags with WMPG as the call letters....

Greetings!

I like to thrown in some Steven Wright one-liners in. Very short and very surreal.

comedy interspersed into the music

Three words: Onion Radio News.

http://www.fussymonkey.com/orn/ has hundreds of them, and we wget'd (wgot?) the whole lot. A bit later I looked at the blog bit of the site, and discovered a rant against people who turn up, wget the Onion material, and leave again without reading the blog. So read the blog. Or something.

Peter

"this is the best purchase of a audio conponent I have ever made"

For me, this is by far the best purchase of ANYTHING that I have ever made.

save maybe a computer, 100% in agreement.

I suggest you assemble a collection of comedy MP3s

Interspersing edited short bites of your favourite comedy moments and letting them come up at random in your playlists breaks the music up and gives you periodic chuckles on a long journey.

On the general subject of this thread, the Empeg is a wonderful thing and, being not of a technical bent, I'm always frustrated that people on the BBS get to use so many features that I don't.

Having said which I get quite enough and loads of interest from people that don't know about it - I can't think other than if it was reintroduced now, when consumers are so much more aware of MP3 technology, it would be a winner for Rio.

Paul,
Steven Wright is my favorite!!! Saw him recently at a local club, unbeliveably funny. He did bunches of stuff I hadn't heard before (almost nothing from "I Have a Pony"). Anyway, I have a giant collection of comedy on my player too (Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, George Carlin, Lewis Black, etc...), I would suggest others load up on at least a bit. It's a nice break from music or talk radio IMO.