Empeg Rio Car MP3 10gig HD-based Head Unit -$199 UPDATE: Out Of Stock

[cjchaps]

There are some deals on the other players as well:
Link Here

It appears only the 10gig model is out of stock. The 20gb+ models are still in stock...

EDIT #2: It appears most models are now out of stock

 

[cjchaps]

"The Rio Car Player doesn't have an internal amplifier, but provides quad 4V line outputs for connection to a standard external amp, available from any car audio dealer. The outputs are driven by a Philips ICE DSP with integral 16-bit DACs feeding a Burr Brown pre-amp stage."

You need an amp to run this thing... But as any car-audophile will tell you, you should never use a head units internal amp

Also, it doesn't have an AM/FM tuner built in. You neeed to buy it if you want that functionality.

 

[cubanx]

Nice Find.

No Tuner but with 150+ hour's of MP3's you can load why would you be listening to the el' radio. Display's the MP3 data nicely also.

I'll still stick to burning CDR's myself, only a few penny's a disc.

 

[cjchaps]

I already have an CD MP3 head unit as well, and I just bought one of those $130 nomads which I can plug into the front of my head unit
I don't need any more toys.



<< Nice Find.

No Tuner but with 150+ hour's of MP3's you can load why would you be listening to the el' radio. Display's the MP3 data nicely also.

I'll still stick to burning CDR's myself, only a few penny's a disc. >>

 

[Sendero]

Seems like a great deal, but it makes me wonder why they're so cheap. Is RIO discontinuing them? Seems that something has to be up for them to drop that much in price. maybe I'm just paranoid...

 

[jlivest]

Maybe they never caught on? I would imagine a lot of people would look the other way if they just want to spend money on a head unit, because of the lack of internal amp and radio tuner.

 

[GnatGoSplat]

They do sell a tuner attachment for it. Lack of external amp is no biggie, many popular high-end head units don't have external amps.

I think nobody wants a pull-out head unit. They look goofy and it's a bit impractical.

This would have been a lot more cool if it had 802.11b so you could copy MP3's to your car while it sits in the garage or driveway.

 

[coredog2]

<< Seems like a great deal, but it makes me wonder why they're so cheap. Is RIO discontinuing them? >>



I seem to recall that Rio will be discontinuing these units shortly. They're too expensive to mass market
as they use a StrongArm processor and software MP3 decoding rather than the Micronas ASIC and a PIC
to do the IDE stuff.

Still, $200 for something that used to be over a grand (back when it was the Empeg only) seems like a hot deal to me.

Edit:
Looks like the 10GB unit (the $199 one) is OOS

 

[Tanner]

Hey guys...I"ve been thinkin'


maybe it would be a good idea if we all bought APPLE iPods Then we could carry them on our person, AND plug them n2 our cars

so...R they capable of being used w/ PC or does it only werk on MAC?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Tanner

 

[OK]

<<so...R they capable of being used w/ PC or does it only werk on MAC?>>

So far, just MACs

I want a PC version

OK

Happy Holidays!!!!

 

[lotust]

FM Tuner module
Now Available!

so for 260$ does any one make a head unit that plays MP3's off cdrs yet?

 

[iwearnosox]

ipod's about a couple weeks away from the dark side. =)

For you lamers- yes, it's pc compatible.

 

[pr0d2]

god damn i want one of these... not willing to take out my sony thou, no more room

 

[GnatGoSplat]

<< FM Tuner module
Now Available!

so for 260$ does any one make a head unit that plays MP3's off cdrs yet? >>



For $260 you can find MANY head units that play MP3's off of CD-R's!

 

[Gorby911]

Of course playing MP3s of CDRs sounds great but I like the idea of having 10 gig of MP3s with you whithout having to carry CDRs... I think I am gonna order one. Sounds like a good deal for 199.

 

[lotust]

wow this is shipped for 199$ also

 

[smitjere]

I had a 12 gig unit that I won about a year ago and sold it on ebay for about a grand. This thing is neat...you plug in in via usb to comp and power it with a reg power cord to download music...runs linux I believe...show visuals as the music plays similar to windows media player(but in 1 color). Cool gadget...somewhere there is a forum made just for this player.

 

[AznRyda]

OOS

 

[bpb30]

Wow, just when I thought there were no good holiday deals left this comes along. I would say this is a smoking hot deal. Even though it said they charge tax in Illinois the final price said "Free". Shipping was also free. I ordered the 20GB unit with the am/fm tuner module. For $369 shipped this is a fantastic deal. As an added bonus you can use this as a stand alone MP3 jukebox. It can be connected to a stereo or powered speakers such as the Logitech 560's. The MP3 CD car players are nice but having access to hundreds of CD worth of music is IMHO the best way to go. Hit shuffle and you have your own personal radio station. These units use standard 2.5 inch notebook drives so they can hopefully be upgraded. Here is a link to a review, there only major complaint is the original cost:

Review

 

[smitjere]

Anyone else having trouble ordering, gives me some error and to call customer service...they are impossible to get a hold of.

 

[mdinh]

I think the 10GB, $199 is back in stock. I just went to the riohome page and it says "While Supplies Last!." It let me add it to the cart and complete an order!

 

[JoshMKiV]

Hottest deal of the year. I always wanted one, but didn't want to pay the price. 10 gig was OOS, I got the 20 gig. Don't forget that you can upgrade the HD later. Also, the mkII has ethernet AND usb I think, off to check for sure...

Check this site out for more info:

Empeg BB

 

[dngovy]

I just tried to purchase one of the 10gig models and I was able to complete the order... so there still might be a chance for anyone else who wants one..

 

[randomlinh]

nm.

shows as OOS for me.. but you can still complete the order.

 

[dngovy]

i must be blind or something.. where is it saying it is OOS for you guys?

Nevermind I see it now.. dumb me.. heh oh well i guess they will just cancel my order..