I recently showed my empeg to a car audio salesman while I was away on a long trip. He didn't have a clue what it could do and was very impressed. This is pretty much what I have seen from every car audio store I have been to. Most have barely heard of a Rio and try to compare it to the empeg. They also have a mind set that it is a substandard product because it is not made by a major manufacturer. The car audio magazines have also not really caught on yet either. There is a picture of a flash card mp3 player on the cover of a major car audio magazine this month.

In my opinion, the empeg is the BEST car audio product on the market and I have been into car audio for as long as I have owned a car.

Now that the Mark 2 has been released and can easily blow away the competition in many respects, will we start to see it more well known to the general public? Everyone that has seen my empeg has never heard of it. I personally would like to see empeg gain huge support publically.

However, I don't ever want to see it show up in car audio stores. I hate paying a "middle man" to sell me a product that I usually know more about than him. In fact, most of the time I know exactly what I want but they don't have it so I have to pay them a 2x markup for the priveledge of ordering it for me. Also, every place I have bought from has tried to cheat me in some way. Very unethical people work at these stores. Not all stores are bad but I would say 90%. I think they are a bunch of theives, this is why I have become a good customer at places on the internet like Crutchfield. Always had good experiences with Crutchfield and prices are fair. This is why I like ordering the empeg staight from them. All the profit goes to empeg which is where I want it to go. However, this may be why they don't get as much local attention.

Is empeg going to advertise? This product deserves attention. Many potential buyers don't even know what it is.

Alex Lear

I didn't mean to sound like I bought the empeg car through Crutchfield. I got it from empeg like everybody else :)

Alex Lear

Our press relations activities are due to kick in big-time in the very near future. We have kept a quiet profile up until now (if quiet can include articles in the NYT, Playboy, Max Power etc etc) but as the end of the registration queue is in sight it's time to explode into the spotlight!

Rob

Which edition of Playboy was that then? I'm told the articles are *cough* very interesting

Geoff
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Got one of the first Mark 2 empegs...

I'm told the articles are *cough* very interesting

There are articles in Playboy?

tanstaafl.

"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

Thieves? I know what you mean.

[editorial]

WHY is it that 95% of the guys you run into in the cellular and car-stereo shops are like that? And the guys in the large-chain electronics shops are the same, just less cool/dope/phat and wearing suits.

Its a fine line dealing with them...if you show them up with knowledge, they're vindictive, and if you don't show enough knowledge, or don't ask them enough questions, they'll try anything they can think of to screw you.

Maybe if I went in there in some rented baggy clothing, some thick gold chains and an IROC parked out on the street, they'd give a brotha a break.

(I am really feeling this way lately, since I have to choose a different shop to do my install, since my regular installer is off for a few weeks...he's the tech in the back with the mess, but with a bunch of jerks and sharks up front in the showroom)

You either have a shop where the installers disrespect your car because its not what they're into (an import, and they're into domestic muscle-cars) and/or disrespect your audio equipment because you didn't buy it from them: "well, we couldn't screw him on the sale, lets get him on the install..."

And try and ARGUE with these guys during a screw? Its like taking a steak from a dog. They are so USED to getting away with what they do, they deeply believe THEY are justified in their behaviour and will do anything to defend it.

[/editorial]

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MK2 #141, green, 12GB

I'm glad someone else knows what I mean. Most people have not dealt with car audio stores enough to know they are getting ripped off. You pretty much said what I feel about these businesses. Another thing to remember is that they work on commission. How can you trust someone to sell you the right thing when they work on commission.
Most people are capable of installing things themselves and should not put your car in the hands of someone who just doesn't care. 99% are not college graduates and work for little pay. Only you can give your car the attention and care it deserves.

Alex Lear

Wow! I suppose I just got lucky and found one of the 10% in the country that knows what he's doing anddidn't seem like he was sneeking anything by me. I just looked in the yellow pages, found an installer name, called them up, and happened to talk to a guywho had put a Mark 1 into a crvette! When I mentioned it to him he sounded very impressed. The first thing he asked me was what size hard drive I got!

You should give some of these guys a little more slack. The last big advanc in audio was probably the CD player, and I bet they got confused by those back then! This is a little different I know, but if you give it a little time, they'll come around. I feel very confident about my installer's abilities, and I can't wait to get this thing in my van this week!

by the way, forgive the mstakes I'm making. I have to usr my Jornada to connect to the internet while I'm at school for the time being, and I'm not in the most comfortable position for touh-typing

DiGNAN
13653

Yes, typically those articles are in dissarray on the floor or around the legs.

Calvin

I agree with Dignan17... the stereo shop I go to is run by an opinionated redneck (if you asked him he'd agree with that assessment) but he treats his customers fairly.

Everything he sells is at the manufacturer's suggested list price, no discounts, and nothing extra added on, either. But... you buy it from his shop, you get free installation (unless it is a really complex, custom installation of course) and you get a lifetime warranty, parts and labor, on both the equipment you bought and the installation. He stands behind what he sells, and as a result, doesn't sell junk.

It seems to work pretty well for him -- every time I try and get into his shop for some work I have to wait 10 days to two weeks for an appointment, and there are other shops in town just begging for customers.

tanstaafl.

"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

Sounds like the "department stores" Vs Owner-operator stores. The owners _must_ take in an interest in the trends.

It just pays to shop around. Empeg appearences in mags will be the first step in re-education of the industry. After that we'll see the better shops adopt an "empeg friendly" attitude.

You Guys (DiG & tanstaafl) seem to be lucky enough to have found them first off.

Murray 06000047
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