You also have to consider that for a lot of poor people like me, the cost is more than just the Empeg.

For example, not only do I have to pay for the Empeg, but overhaul the sound system in my '98 Volkswagon Cabrio to get it to even work. With my factory setup (one DIN unit in dash with internal amp, driving small speakers, with a changer in the back) I was forced to do the following:

1) Buy an amplifier (not cheap). In fact, I'm kind of cutting my throat because unless I buy an uber-expensive amp that I can tune WAY down, the voltage that is going to be sent through to my crappy factory speakers will slowly kill them. I'll have to replace them down the road, and that's further expense.
2) Pay for installation. I could probably be able to get away with just installing the Empeg into my car, but there's no way in hell I'd be able to know the first thing about installing an amp into a car that's never had one.

Add all this together, and even at the most MODEST pricing (with the amp on sale and a cut on the labor) I end up spending a little over $500US just to get my $300 Empeg player running. While the Empeg is a steal, I'm still going to have to wait a month or more to install it if I get it.

Until then it's just going to be the World's Coolest Desk Stereo.

I think with the hardcore geek demographic that loves this stuff, you have two catagories

1) those who are loaded and will buy anything
2) those who are hard-core, young, and broke.

I fall into the second catagory.

I spend my weekend doing case-mod art on my PC, and tricking it out with home-built water cooling systems with cheap AMD processors. It's a hardcore hobby that's not very expensive.

I've always wanted an Empeg, but that price barrier was something that I could never get past.

Just my two cents.