Just received the clear faceplate - perfect fit and finish.
Lightly smoke colored but not blurry at all. Display now looks
like most any other piece of home electronics that use this type
of display behind smoke colored plastic. The only thing different
from the empeg faceplate is that there's no bevel (sp?) along the top
edge and the top corner front edges - not a problem in my book.

As to the lack of IR filter; after I clumsily dropped my MkI onto
concrete from about 4" high (in the offical bag - have now upgraded
to a Pelican 1200 case), knocking the top left corner off the
faceplate, Hugo was kind enough to send me one of each color
that they had lying about. The green one which I've been using lately
is missing the filter, but I've only had trouble with the empeg
reading the remote once - holding it closer to the empeg solved it
that time (really low and strong sun from behind hitting straight into
the faceplate) and it hasn't happened again. Will take a stroll
through the local photo shop though...

DarkStorm - thanks!

/Michael

from about 4" high

Duh, just noted the typo - the MkI was dropped from 4' not 4"...

/Michael

Update on the performance of the clear faceplate in bright sunlight:

When no direct sunlight hits the empeg it is very readable, but when
you do get direct sunlight it washes out quite badly... It looks like
the display (not the panel, I haven't had any problem with reflexes in
the panel itself ) reflects a lot of light. The original panels
somehow dealt better with this - probably a combo of the AR coating
and the fact that less light gets through the colored lenses.

I'll dig through my bag of photo gear and see if I can dig up a
polarizing filter and check if it makes any difference.

/Michael

To be fair, I did mention that in the posts that direct sunlight washed out the display, but I don't run into it enough myself for it to be a problem.

Steve

Certainly, I'm not at all unhappy with it, it is a great complement to
the existing colored panels - I was just slightly surprised just
how washed out it got.

We're having a bout of unusually nice weather right now, no doubt
it won't be much a problem for me either judging by past weather
performance here in Sweden

And it does look just perfect beside the other stereo gear indoors!

Also, haven't noted any interference at all from it missing the
screening - and my computer speakers pick up mobile phone signals
from anywhere in the apartment, screaming in protest...

/Michael

Certainly, I'm not at all unhappy with it, it is a great complement to
the existing colored panels - I was just slightly surprised just
how washed out it got.

I'm thinking that's just because the smokey filter is lighter than the empeg filters. When the sun shines through the filter and then bounces back, it goes through the filter twice. When the display shines through the filter, it goes through only once. Therefore, the darker the filter gives better contrast, but worse brightness. It's a matter of balance, which is a matter of taste and viewing conditions.

-jim 080000260 w/18G in a Carrera