I'm considering buying the MKI version that's for sale on ebay, but I have a few questions first. I want to know what the differences are of the 2 versions and if the first version is just as good, I'm not a big fan of the face plate on the MKII anyways so that doesn't really matter. I noticed from the FAQ, that the MKI uses a smaller HD 14 millimitres, is this size drive still fairly affordable and easy to find in 20-30Gb size? And apparently they need different software updates, but will all the updates for the MKII be available for the MKI too? Are there any other big differences, like lower voltage outputs on the MKI or lack of the equalizer, etc.?

Thanks for all the reply's and looking forward to joining the empeg community :)
Shayne

there is some info here www.empeg.org/

20 gig ibm travelstar is 9.5 mm I just purchased one for 122.00 including shipping

read the faq entry about installing a 2nd drive it says where to get the cable

MkI compared to MkII:
Less RAM (IIRC MkI's have 8M, MkII 12 and MkIIa 16)
No Ethernet
Slightly less space for drives (height) but most drives are only 12.5mm anyway so that's a minor thing.
No dimming of display.
No telephone mute.
Builtin FM radio (not so great sensitivity) compared to external AM/FM module (at extra cost,
US$99 IIRC). The external radio module for the MkII also has an extra connector for a wired
remote control.
No input for a (future feature) voice recognition microphone.

Those are the things I can think of off the top of my head.

/Michael

No real time clock.
No switched/backup ignition control wire (positive feed only).
Differential audio outputs instead of single-ended. This has the knock-on effect that the audio wiring is slightly more complicated than normal (it needs earthing cable inserts to ground the outputs to the same output ground as the amplifier).
No rotary control knob.

I am something of a fan of the Mk1; I have number 00015, and wouldn't part with it.

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

Actually my Mk1 install doesn't require the earthing cables (if you add them it sounds terrible!) so this depends on your vehicle/install.

And apparently they need different software updates, but will all the updates for the MKII be available for the MKI too?

The code base for the two players is basically the same so every time new software is released for the Mk2 it is released for the Mk1 as well (unless the update is only related to Mk2 specific hardware).

Are there any other big differences, like lower voltage outputs on the MKI or lack of the equalizer, etc.?

The audio outputs are the same voltage on both players, and both have the same 10 channel parametric equalizer.

(list 6284, Mk1 S/N 00299 4GB blue [for sale]. Mk2 S/N 080000094 6GB blue)

I suppose there are just some I/O differences but the fundamentals are the same. Both work in exactly the same manner. (so far, until VR)

Murray 06000047
I don't think, therefore I am not.

Ok, well since it's missing the mic input, it's definitely not a replacement for the MK2, but for the price I'll probably just get it as an intermediate until they actually come out with voice recognition and navigation, which could be a while. So then the only questions I'd have would be, is it still easy to navigate without the rotary knob? and when you say the sound quality is a bit worse since the radio is built in, do u mean the sound quality of the unit or of the radio only, since there's no need for the radio with the empeg imo. So I guess, if the price is right, I'll just get it as a temporary unit until the MK2 really has all the features I want and hopefully a couple more I'll ask for in the wish list :)
Thanks

is it still easy to navigate without the rotary knob?

IMHO, yes. I only have a MkI myself but when I rode with Lars Karlslund (Wire) down to
Amersfoort I only recall using the knob for volume adjustments - could of course be that I'm
used to do any other stuff via buttons or remote...

and when you say the sound quality is a bit worse since the radio is built in, do u mean
the sound quality of the unit or of the radio only,

The radio only. AFAIK the DSP and output stages are identical in the different versions.
Even (especially?) the empeg guys say that they are not very happy with the radio in the MkI.
Hard to keep it unaffected by the digital noise the processor/busses/whatever generates while
inside the steel shell - or something like that

since there's no need for the radio with the empeg imo

Yeah, I bought a radio/casette deck as a stop gap thing for until I got the empeg; had both units
installed, but at the time I removed the radio/cassette deck I hadn't used it for apprx. 3 months
The radio in the empeg has probably been used twice besides setting up the stations...

/Michael

when i installed my Mk2 i also installed a cd walkman on the auxilary lineas well so ic ould listen to cds and i have used it once to prove it works.

on the point of being easy to navigate i use a pioneer remote the most for menus then the buttons and occasionally the knob.

While talking about ease of use i have removed the empeg from my car and installed a cd head unit so the empeg can come with me and i must say that the cd player is horrible to use in comparison to the empeg.

The empeg comes with me onboard ship and i leave tomorrow so no more posts from me for about 4 months

Goodbye to everyone in empeg world. see you in october

just make sure that 1.1 is ready for my return

Everything everyone else has said here on this thread is correct, but being the proud owner of both a Mk1 and a Mk2 unit, I wanted to bring up a few additional points:

1) The internal shock mounts for the hard drives on the Mk2 are better. I believe they are more reliable in the long term.

2) The circuit board has gone through several revisions of improvements on the Mk2. For instance: My Mk1 was number 144, and there was a jumper on the motherboard which protruded far enough to damage the hard disk drive cable (but only after months and months of mild friction). When I discovered the problem, I was able to fix it fairly easily, but I could see how it eventually might have made the cable fail.

3) There's more room inside the Mk2's case for the drive tray to move and the drive cables to route. This makes for more overall reliability, I believe.

4) The car docking connector on the Mk2 seems to be more reliable than the one on the Mk1. My Mk1's docking connector required alcohol-and-qtip maintenance regularly to keep things working properly.

5) The Mk1's sled had a tendency to "bind up" on the side-mounted guide dimples after several months of use. The Mk2 fixes that problem as well.

6) The audio outputs on the Mk2 are significantly improved. Depending on the complexity of your installation, you may find that the Mk1's differential outputs give a greater chance for ground loops to develop and it's harder to troubleshoot your installation.

7) The Mk2's rotary knob is much more convenient for controlling the volume than the buttons on the Mk1 faceplate.

Don't get me wrong, the Mk1 is a great unit. If you really can't afford a Rio Car, then it's very useful and still performs its primary task (playing your whole CD collection) perfectly. I just wanted to point out some of technical issues that had been solved on the Mk2 units.

___________
Tony Fabris

One more thing I don't see mentioned before is that the MkI has 2 IDE channels while the MkII has 1.

Theoretically this means that you could (in a stationary set-up, as there's no space for them
inside the emepg) add another two disks for a total of 4 on a MkI. I have no idea if the software
can support it (It'd have to look at one or two more partitions for songs) nor if the power supply is
capable of servicing two additional disks...

/Michael

Installing more than two drives would be a lot more trouble than it's worth. The software doesn't support it, so you'd have to figure out how to hack it to get it to recognize the other partitions. Then there's the interior clearance issues, the difficulty of mounting the other drives, heat and ventilation issues, etc. Just buy a bigger disk drive.

___________
Tony Fabris