Personally I think the biggest downside of the empeg is its fascia and buttons. They give the impression of a cheap second rated carstereo. Allthough its not the design but rather the plastic feel and looks of it.

And it's not even that it's plastic, but the look of that particular plastic. I mean, most (all?) car stereos have plastic fasciae and buttons, but they have a different appearance. The first things that come to mind are a slightly higher-gloss finish and a vague metallic look that seems to be produced by small metallic flakes in the plastic itself (as opposed to applied after the casting).

Do you (Mike, not Benito) have any way to reproduce those effects?