As we all know there is a few preducies that stopped the empeg from going main stream one of them was it was a pull out and not a face off

So how about this as a concept for the futre a IBM mico drive in the front face to act as a sort of transfer disc between the car and home computer.

I am guessing the price was the reason it didn't get too popular. I can't believe people would not buy it because it was a pull out. I mean how many people actually take off the face on those anyway (but then nsync is popular so what do I know)

I agree 100%. The features are the reason I bought mine, including the fact that its a pull out. I take mine out all the time. I figure that if I have it with me, it isn't going to be stolen. This really is one of the better features of the unit, and often overlooked.

The price was the only draw back for me, but evidently not enought to keep me away. I have had mine for over a year now and could not get it soon enough. Had someone told me a year ago to wait, that the price would drop a few hundred bucks I would have said NO WAY. I wanted it then, and I bought it.

As to why nsync is as popular as they are, well thats a mystery to me too

It is my belief that price is what kept the Empeg from going mainstream (I paid $1,299 for my 12GB). $999 for a 10GB model and Rio's marketing should have solved this, but didn't. In fact, I think Empeg was doing a better job at marketing. Now, $699 for a 10GB model should be causing the RioCar to fly off the shelves, but it's not. I had enough time to buy 2 RioCar's since EOL, and it's still in stock.

This may be a very remote cause, but everyone that owns a NEO35 tries to dissuade people from buying Empeg. The cause for this is twofold. 1) These people could never afford and Empeg and, as such, have never seen one. 2) Don't full understand that it is a full-fledged computer and not just some candy-ass, cheap-ass MP3 decoding circuitry with an IDE interface. Needless to say, there are a lot more NEO35's out in the market, and a lot more people are pro-NEO.

Anyone that owns and Empeg and has owned a NEO35 or tried to build their own car MP3 device would never go back. The Empeg is one of the most well thought out products I have ever come across. Empeg's genius and value is represented in how many people that own one have bought "backup" units. For the foreseeable future, I couldn't imagine living without an Empeg.

I don't consider myself super-rich, but MP3's in the car is a priority of mine. I saw the original MK1 Empeg and entered the queue. I couldn't afford it at the time so I tried to build my own. It was taking too much time, money, and headaches. Then, I went to PC Expo and saw the NEO35. Bought it on the spot... on the show floor. After getting it, I realized it sucked. I then started saving for the Empeg and got it a couple months later. I havn't looked back since.

The fact that Empeg comes out of the car is perfect. This means that it can serve multiple purposes. In-car MP3 player, in-home MP3 player, in-office MP3 server, and so on...

Now, every now and then, I like to check the NEO35 Message Board to check out all the anti-Empeg rhetoric. It is unreal how many people talk about something they have no personal contact with. Oh, by the way, I own NEO35.com and NEO-35.com. That shows how early I bought my NEO.

>Oh, by the way, I own NEO35.com and NEO-35.com.

That's cold, dude. But soooo cool. Do you have them redirected to the riocar.org site?

Do you have them redirected to the riocar.org site?

That is what I had intended, but it kind-of got a bad reception when I brought it up here. Right now they point to eBay because I was thinking of selling them. At this point, I have plans of making a site that details my empeg install (better than the one I have now) and would probably point the Neo domains there. That is... unless someone has a better idea .

I should qualify one of the reasons i bought the empeg was the fact it was a pull out and home installable which made it very attractive to me it is just other folk don't like the pull out concept

I, too think the fact that the unit pulls out was one of the main deciding factors in my purchase. I have had my car broken into three times in recent years in attempts to get at my old head unit. My car hasn't been touched since I got the Empeg....and now I have a in-house juke box to boot :)

Robricc said it all better than I ever did.

I seem to remember a statement on the BBS from the empeg-guys saying that they have finished a design that will never be produced, but the design is "for sale" (OEM).

- Removable face
- Removable Harddisk with USB-connection
- CD player with Ripping possibility.
- USB *HOST*
- Lower Price

Marius (Escort Cab + Mark II)