I just got my Empeg Carry Case. Decided I'd review it. Here's my review:

It's good. Get one, they're cool.



Tony Fabris
Empeg #144

Agreed.

I can't even move for women mobbing me.

Paul

Paul Haigh, 6GB, Blue
Reg: 4120 - Serial 00254

..since Christmas..

Mine arrived today. It is very cute.

It's a little smaller than I was expecting for some reason, but it's a perfect fit for the empeg. No complaints.

-v

Having lived with my Empeg carry case for a while, I thought I'd write a real review of it.

Prior to getting the Empeg carry case, I'd been using a Case Logic PDC-1 bag. The PDC-1 is a good bag for the Empeg, but it doesn't fit the unit exactly. As a result, it was a little bit clumsy getting the Empeg in and out of the bag. The Empeg case fits the unit like a glove, and with a bit of practice, inserting and removing the unit is very fast and easy. If I set the case on my passenger seat, I can pack and unpack the Empeg one-handed. (Insert Wesley/Inigo Montoya quote here.) The secret is that the zipper allows the front flap to unfold completely- this makes loading the Empeg a breeze. In fact, the PDC-1 was clumsy enough so that if I was in a hurry, I would sometimes leave the bag in the car and carry the Empeg into the store naked. Now, I always use the Empeg case since it's so much easier to load.

The PDC-1 had more outside pockets, allowing me to carry a bunch of extra stuff along with the Empeg. I carried my checkbooks, my sunglasses, and the Empeg power supply and cables. The idea was that if I was at a friend's house, I would have the power supply and cables to plug into his stereo system. The Empeg case is smaller and has less "extra" space, but that turns out to actually be a benefit (more on this below). In the new case, I can choose to fit either my checkbooks or the power supply, not both. As it turns out, I rarely need the power supply so I'm just leaving that in the glovebox and keeping my checkbooks with me in the Empeg case.

The Empeg case is only lightly padded, no differently than the PDC-1 bag. When I used the PDC-1 bag, I dropped it once, cracking one corner of the faceplate. But the interesting thing is why I dropped the PDC-1 bag: with all the extra weight and bulk, its shoulder strap slipped off my shoulder when I was getting out of the car. The Empeg case is a lot less bulky and has no shoulder strap, only handles. The fact that the Empeg case is smaller, and the fact that you have to actually hold it means that you're much less likely to drop the thing. When I take it into stores and restaurants, it's a lot easier to deal with than the Case Logic bag. I can set it on the table next to me at a restaurant with no trouble, whereas I was always having trouble finding a spot for the Case Logic bag. Once, I left the Case Logic bag in a restaurant, hanging on the back of my chair. There's much less of a chance I'll do that with the Empeg bag.

Of course, you can't beat having the Empeg logo stitched on the outside of the bag. It hasn't happened to me yet, but I can't wait until someone recognizes the logo and asks for a demo.

All in all, I give the Empeg case two thumbs up. (Oh, wait, in England, isn't that an insult or something?) I don't know how many Rob has sold so far, but I think that all 350-or-so of us Mark 1 owners should get one. Very worth it.

Tony Fabris
Empeg #144

All in all, I give the Empeg case two thumbs up. (Oh, wait, in England, isn't that an insult or something?) I don't know how many Rob has sold so far, but I think that all 350-or-so of us Mark 1 owners should get one. Very worth it.

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Hey; let me ask you something..

I'm currently carrying my empeg in my backpack, in a padded compartment.. The only problem is that I can't really put anything else in that compartment, in fear of scratching the empeg.. Is this case small enough to store in a backpack?
-mark

...proud to have one of the first Mark I units

The case is just barely bigger than the Empeg itself, and is made of flexible nylon fabric. I imagine if you can fit the Empeg into your backpack naked, it would probably fit when inside the case. Depending on how you're stuffing it into the backpack, you might have to leave its second pocket empty, though. Refer to the pictures on the web site to see what I mean.

Tony Fabris
Empeg #144

I carry it in my backpack all the time when I am on campus. No problems yet. I also have a laptop and at least one textbook in there at the same time. It is an Eastpak backpack with the laptop sleeve.

Squid2k1
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18GB of Green Mk II Fury - Fast As A Shark

Another empeg car player case review:

I use the case all of the time. It keeps the empeg clean and scratch free. The case itself is nothing special. Looks generic with the exception of the empeg logo added. Obviously not specifically designed for the empeg. A little too snug for my taste. The outer pocket is big enough for the power supply, remote, and interconnect cable if desired. I would like to of seen more padding (maybe 1/2 inch rubber/foam like a laptop computer case). This would add overall size to it but I would like it to be able to take a fall from 1 meter and live through it. After all, its a $1200 or more product inside. My case has had no problems since its purchase. I give the case a score of 8 out of 10.

Alex Lear

Actually, the case isn't generic, it was designed for the empeg itself (ie, it is generic materials and type of construction, but made to our dimensions).

I agree more padding would be nice, but the manufacturer didn't offer us that.

Hugo

Not even rubber corners for re-inforcement?

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

I have a blue case and a black case (ordered black got blue till they sent me the right one). I think the black one fits much better than the blue. The blue seemed so much tighter that it was a struggle to get it in.

The black one is nicer, IMHO.

Squid2k1
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18GB of Green Mk II Fury - Fast As A Shark

They should be identical apart from the colour - I can't say I ever noticed a difference.

Maybe a freak happening.

Rob

Hi.

Don't know why the BBS showed this thread to be containing a new message, but anyway, it should do so as soon as I submit this one.
I really like the empeg case (have a blue one), I just wanted to note that I would really like the outside pocket to be just a little bit bigger (not more than 1/2 inch in width and length (along the seams that connect it to the empeg's compartment), no change in height. The pocket barely provides enough space for the cabling I would like to keep with my empeg: USB or ethernet cable, power supply, serial cable, audio cable plus the remote (that I usually keep in the same pocket as the empeg itself). And before anyone might ask:
Yes, I do need all these cables, because I didn't find a way to install a working telnetd on the empeg (so the serial cable is needed for console access) and I want to transfer (sometimes huge amounts of) data/music (so ethernet or USB is needed). The need for the power supply and the audio cable is obvious, I think.

cu,
sven
proud MkII owner (12GB blue now green, #080000113)

I'm just amazed that you can get the power supply into that little pocket

_______________________

Steve - 18GB Mk II Blue

Why? The original power supply (at least the european version) isn`t that big. The AC/DC adapter that is, no battery or whatever else you might have thought of when I said "power supply".

cu,
sven
proud MkII owner (12GB blue now green, #080000113)

I just had a picture of you trying to squeeze the mains power plug into the carry case pocket. Sorry - it's been a loooong week.

_______________________

Steve - 18GB Mk II Blue

I would have to agree, the case is worth it. I would think that as much as we have all spent on our units that we would be glad to have a case for it.

I find the case to be functional. It makes it a lot easier for me to carry my player in from the car to my desk at work because my hands are often full.

It protects the player from the elements when I carry it.

Since someone brought this protection thread to light, I'll ask a question in here.

Would anyone be interested in a rubber exo-skeleton for the empeg? Similar to the stuff used to protect PDAs, phones, scanners, etc. in industrial or vertical markets. Similar to the rubber surrounds used to protect Fluke multimeters...

I'm interested enough to start designing one. I'll probably make a mock-up with MDF using a router and then look into making a quality mold of it. I still haven't done any research on doing the rubber-casting myself (ie. which materials are available for the novice without sourcing this out in a factory).

Bruno

That sounds interesting.

'Exoskeleton' would be interesting, provided it is easy to mount/remove. I carry my empeg around a lot, and don't like the way it sits on its handle on a flat surface.