I'm looking at buying the Empeg unit, but it would be for a high end sound system, so there's a few things I would want it to have, and I just signed up with this group so sorry if they have already been discussed. My main question is are these features being worked on. First would be higher voltage preouts and sub preout. The empeg site rates the preouts at 4v, but an article from I think Mobile Entertainment benchmarked them at 1.something. Also I was wondering if the voice recognition is anywhere near being released, because with 20Gb's of songs I'd like to get to the one I want quickly. A last question not about the empeg is, I would want to have a cd HU as well as the empeg, so is it possible to build a switch that would let me change between the 2?
Thanks for any help,
Shayne

I just signed up with this group so sorry if they have already been discussed.

Welcome to the BBS. These things have already been discussed, but we don't mind discussing them again.


First would be higher voltage preouts (...) The empeg site rates the preouts at 4v, but an article from I think Mobile Entertainment benchmarked them at 1.something.

There is some confusion about that. The voltage of the outputs, as stated by Empeg, should be correct. There are a couple of possibilities as to why the reviewers found otherwise:

1) Maybe they tested the home outputs instead of the car outputs. The home outputs are 1v, the car outputs are 4v.

2) Maybe the demo unit they were given had a defect or had been damaged.

3) Maybe they tested differently than Empeg did?

In any case...

In practice, the outputs work GREAT with any amplification you can throw at it. Assuming you know what you're doing with the installation, they produce fantastically clean output. Trust me on this one, there are plenty of satisfied customers of this thing who are serious audiophiles. For instance, Doug Burnside ("Tanstaafl" on the BBS) competes in stereo competitions in his state, and is very pleased with the outputs quality and levels. Of course, MP3 players aren't sanctioned by these competitions yet, so he uses a CD player (more on that below).


(...) and sub preout (...)

True, it's only got four channels of car output. But in reality, a separate output for a subwoofer is not necessary. It's very easy to rig such an output yourself. If remote control of the subwoofer level is necessary (in addition to front/rear fading), then these things can be done without the head unit needing to be involved.

I run six channels off of the empeg in my car. Since my balance between front and rear is carefully adjusted already, I simply run the front outputs into the four channels of my front/rear speaker amplifier. I then run the rears into the subwoofer amplifier, and now the empeg's fader controls the subwoofer level.

If you need to have both front/rear fading as well as remote control of the subwoofer, then you can get an amp with a remote gain adjustment and use that. Or you can use a manual stereo attenuator on the line outputs to the sub.


Also I was wondering if the voice recognition is anywhere near being released, because with 20Gb's of songs I'd like to get to the one I want quickly.

Voice recognition is being worked on. It is not easy to do for something as complex as the Empeg, in an environment as noisy as a car with a blasting stereo. There is no word on when it's going to be available, but know this:

Even without voice recognition, it is incredibly easy to get to the songs you want. The Empeg is the most flexible and user friendly product in that respect. Nothing else can come close to its ability to select playlists and search for titles. The ability to drill down and locate a specific song out of 20 (heck, 60) gigabytes of MP3s is critical to its operation, and is the major focus of the user interface. Until you actually use it and try out these features, you can't know how cool it is in this respect. Trust me on this one, you can find your songs fast. Certainly a lot faster than you could with a CD changer and a pile of 500 CDs. And it's orders of magnitude faster than CD-R based MP3 players. Every song selection on the Empeg is instantaneous. With other products, you have to wait for indexing and searching.


A last question not about the empeg is, I would want to have a cd HU as well as the empeg, so is it possible to build a switch that would let me change between the 2?

You don't need a switch, but if you want one, they are available. Sony makes a switch specifically designed for switching between two head units.

Of course, since the empeg has an aux-in, and most CD players have an aux-in too, you can simply daisy chain them. Your only choice will be which one comes first. There's a complete discussion of this in the FAQ section of this BBS if you're interested. Incidentally, if your CD player has a dedicated subwoofer output, then your subwoofer problem is solved because you could run the empeg into the CD's aux-in and use the CD as the main head unit. It's your choice.

Any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. We're here to help you make the right decision.

___________
Tony Fabris

The outputs have ~3.6v swing at 0db with full-scale audio. 1.3v is the RMS. Quoting the peak swing appears to be common practice, hence we did this - the swing is the same as other "4v" head units from other manufacturers.

Basically, it's loud enough to mean my amps gains are wound right down ;)

Hugo

Hey thanks a lot for the comprehensive list. I checked out the FAQ, and I'm still left with a few questions though. How does that sony switch work if I have a different number of outputs from the 2 HU's? I plan on getting the eclipse 55090 which plays DVD's, so I guess I couldn't go Eclipse->empeg->amps, cause then I wouldn't get the video out, or could that be bipassed? Also I don't know if the eclipse has aux in, but if it does, would that solve the voltage preout problem since it's 8volt preout on the eclipse? I think my best bet is to go with the switch, so do you know where I could find information on that so I could see if there will be any problems with it and these 2 HU's?
Thanks again for all your help,
Shayne

How does that sony switch work if I have a different number of outputs from the 2 HU's?

I don't know. I've never used it. Its specs can be found at Crutchfield here, but it probably won't be necessary in your installation.

I plan on getting the eclipse 55090 which plays DVD's, so I guess I couldn't go Eclipse->empeg->amps, cause then I wouldn't get the video out, or could that be bipassed?

Sure you could. The video out is a separate wire, I'm sure. That one goes direct to your display.

Also I don't know if the eclipse has aux in, but if it does, would that solve the voltage preout problem since it's 8volt preout on the eclipse?

Yes, that would take care of it. But I maintain that the voltage level of the outputs is not a problem and you don't need to worry about it. The only thing you should consider is what is most convenient for you in the daisy chain order. Do you want to have to plug in the empeg every time you watch a DVD? Or would it be easier to power up the DVD player every time you want to listen to an MP3? It's your choice.





___________
Tony Fabris

I've got that switch installed. I previously had my head units daisychained CD -> empeg -> amps. I got the switch so I could listen to the CD/Radio even when the empeg is elsewhere (ie streaming music on the office network).

The link to my review of this thing is here:
http://empeg.comms.net/php/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=install&Number=29400&Search=true&Forum=All_Forums&Words=sony%20switch&Match=And&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=29400

I think this should answer any questions you might have about the switch. Let me know if it doesn't and I can try to help out.

-Zeke



just say you weren't paying much attention...

Hmmm...thanks for the review, but unless I misunderstood it, it would not be enough for my system. I'm going to be running 3 sets of RCA preouts to 3 different amps, one for front, one for back, and one for subs. From what I understand, the switching unit can only accept 2 rca in's from each HU, and then output to only 2 amps, I guess I'll have to go Empeg->Eclipse->amps, that eq the empeg's got looks nice, but oh well, only small problem is they both use voice recognition (once the empeg get's it) so they might get confused, hahah
Thanks for the help and any other sugestions?
Shayne

Buy two switches then you can run them in parallel that could let you swap up to 4 sets of channels.

Or is this too simple to work

Yeah, I'd say you're setup is pretty involved. Maybe there are home stereo source switchers that would better suit your requirements. I don't know of any other switchers for auto use. Let us know what you end up doing.

-Zeke

just say you weren't paying much attention...