I'm eagerly trying to get an empeg in Europe (Germany). Now that the "shop reopens on 12th of March" has been silently replaced with a "shop reopens soon", is there any information on when empeg units will be available again in Europe?

Thanks,
Olli

Hi!
I live in Europe too, and have the same problem. I have ordered a new car now without stereo as I wanted to use the empeg player in it. But it seems like we just have to forget it in europe (?).
Does anyone know about any good alternatives to empeg ?


--
Jon

Olli and Jon , just saw the Empeg store site , your right it's closed , I didn't know. Strange . I live in The Netherlands and I have an Empeg . I just ordered it via the Empeg site , within 3 days I had mine delivered at home . All it takes is : Internet , credit card and enough money in the bank ! Why don't you call them and ask what is going on , I would . Succes , I'm sure you will have one soon . See ya

An alternative? Egad! There really is nothing out there with comparable sound quality, user-interface, or reliability. Check out the reviews section!

In the mean time, you could rig up your amps and speakers and run a laptop into the RCAs through the gaping hole where your empeg will live. You could also get a cheap, used head unit to hold you over (from a local empeg owner?), but I'd be loathe to purchase anything for just a couple of weeks. Remember that the empeg has four output channels when you buy your amps.

-jim <MkII:080000260 18G blue>

Greetings!

I know that the empeg folks are currently transitioning US sales to the riohome page. They are going to reopen the store as part of a major site redesign. I can only guess that it got delayed. You may want to send email to [email protected] or [email protected]. Either that or give them a call directly.

Paul G.
SN# 090000587 (40GB Green)

But it seems like we just have to forget it in europe

This situation is only temporary. They will resume selling to europe shortly.

Does anyone know about any good alternatives to empeg ?

If you already had your heart set on an empeg, then I'm sure that you want its features, its capacity, and its quality. In those areas, nothing comes close to the empeg, and you'll be disappointed by any competing product on the market right now.

There are some cheaper products available, but they are either targeted to different markets (CD-Rs or memory sticks, for instance), or they don't match up to the empeg in the other areas.

___________
Tony Fabris

Does that also mean that we in Europe will have to play in Dollars and not in Pounds?

Do we in Europe still have to pay for the VAT,
in the Netherlands that's 19% :((( ?

Tino

To my understanding you will pay in Pounds and pay the UK VAT.

IIRC, once a company sells for more than X [monetary units of your choice] to another EU country
they're supposed not to charge the VAT in their country and instead the VAT should be paid in the
receivers country. However, I don't think empeg has reached that point.

If you buy from a non EU country, you will always (unless the amount is
small, at least that's my experience in Sweden) pay VAT in you country...

/Michael

For an EC order, you pay VAT at 17.5%. The only exception is if you're a VAT registered business in the EC but not in the UK, in which case you can supply your VAT number and we will not charge any tax.

For orders outside of the EC, you do not pay VAT but you may have to pay duty when the goods arrive in your country.

Rob

Don't forget that a declared VAT-liable item sold within the EU intended for a destination also within the EU is supposedly sold at the set rate in the originating country (VAT harmonisation rules).

Where a rate difference exists between member countries, in theory, the Customs authority in the receiving country are required to levy the difference on entry. This does tend to imply that (for example) in NL at the moment, you could get hit with an additional 1.5% VAT bill at the door, or the goods will be witheld pending payment from the recipient.

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

There isn't really an alternative

If you are desperate, you could always look in "For Sale" and on EBay......

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

And I thought state sales taxes in the US were confusing.

___________
Tony Fabris

That's the first I've heard of that (and nobody has ever mentioned to us that this has happened to them).

Rob

Well, the VAT rate differential has only existed since January 2nd; the same situation happened in 1988 when I imported a Colour Computer 3 (Tandy CoCo 3!) into NL. You would need to check the situation with your courier. I have just been hit for a measly Fl 6.00 on some shock absorbers I bought two weeks back by credit card in the yUK and boy, was I surprised (that's the polite word for it, I suppose)

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

carrera84,

there's no need to sell the empeg to me :)

I've been looking into the alternatives, which basically are the AIWA freak lightshow crap-o-rama and the Kenwood, which sadly is built on top of one of their more mediocre head units. Also, I've come to the conclusion that I probably prefer the empeg HD solution over CD-Rs.

Since I already own an okish headunit/cd-changer combo (Blaupunkt San Francisco RDM169 + IDC-09 dash-in changer [double height DIN slots rule :-]), I'm in no dire need to update. The empeg is supposed to eventually replace the changer, going through the Blaupunkt's AUX in.

So, I was basically just interested when it will be possible to get an empeg again. I promise I won't rush to the competition even if it's another 4 weeks or so :-)

Olli

(Incidentally, did someone already try to get the Blaupunkt steering wheel IR remote to work with the empeg?)

There is a delay opening the store, for several operational reasons. I hope this will be resolved early next week.

Rob

(Incidentally, did someone already try to get the Blaupunkt steering wheel IR remote to work with the empeg?)



I was one of the ones trying to figure it out... I couldn't find a retail dealer close by to try the thummer before I bought it.... So, it's still an unknown as far as I know.

Do we in the Netherlands now have to pay in US Dollars of UK Pounds?

???

Hm, now www.empeg.com is gone (and the old store with it), and Rio still only sells to the americas.



Olli