The 12GB model is still the way to go... best value. Then, you can add another 20GB model for under $130! :)

For anyone wondering if the empeg is worth it or not... your concerns are very valid. You SHOULD ask yourself these questions (and the BBS) before spending so much money. Since this IS a peice of technology, it will eventually drop from it's "hottest thing on the market" status. But, it wont become obsolete. As long as you have a PC (or Mac or Linux box) you will be able to use the empeg. Mp3 will certainly go through a few changes in the next few years, but the empeg's software is upgradable. And mp3's are here to stay - at least for quite a few years.

People may *gasp* when you told them how much you spent on a "car radio", but the empeg/RioCar is more than just a car radio. It will literally change the way you view music. You can listen to it at home (either connected to a PC, home stereo or headphones with an adapter) or in a vehicle. It won't skip and you can find any song in seconds. In fact, my empeg has almost 4000 songs on it, and I can find a song faster than when I had my CD player. With my CD player, I had to reach for my CD book, find the correct CD (hoping the CD art allows for the artist and disk title), remove the CD currently in the player, load the CD I just found (trying not to scratch or dirty up the CD), wait for it to spin up and skip ahead through the CD until I recognized the track.

With the empeg/RioCar, I can find a tune by browsing through the playlists (this is actually my favorite meathod because of how I set up my playlists) or search (either by PIN, aritst, song title, year or genre). And I don't have to listen to the song to know if it is the right one. All of the info is right there.

But the empeg's real power isn't just in it's ability to be upgraded for find music "on demand". What is really great is how much music you will re-discover! I have nearly 600 CD's. With my CD player in my car, I would never listen to half of my CD singles because they only offered 2-5 songs on them. Wasn't worth bringing it along. But, with the empeg it doesn't matter! Or with albums that you "like" but usually can't listen to an hour's worth of..you can bring those along too! My favorite mode to listen to in is shuffle of the root playlist. It is like having a radio station where you like every song! And you don't have to guess at the album or artist name because it is right there! Also,you are surprised at what song comes up next. There is so much music that I am rediscovering in my collection. CD's that would otherwise just colllect dust. So many memories have come back!

Another great asset of the player is this forum.. Name one other product that is this professionally built where you can visit an internet forum and have the original developer regularly post messages? Or so many knowledgeable users that even develope there own applications and tools and give them away (along with expert advice!)?

Sure, eventually there will be a Mk. II or something with a full color screne or somethig with built in GPS, but that is the nature of technology. And while you are waiting, the rest of us are enjoying!

One thing I would recommend is to take some time to rip as many CD's as you can to your hard drive and get all of your ID tags in order (see the FAQ). In the month or two it took me to do this, I continued to learn about the empeg and the price dropped $100. I can't gaurentee a price drop, but when I finally got my empeg, I knew how to work almost all of the features because of the info available on this BBS!

32GB (JUST UPGRADED!) Mk. II BLUE
Detroit, MI USA
www.PfeifferBeer.com