I've read about the AutoPC's MP3 playback. I know what's going on, and why you're having the problems.

I have good news for you: The Empeg absolutely does NOT suffer from the same problem. The Empeg sounds fantastic, as good as a CD player if your MP3 files are encoded at the proper bit rate. So please don't let your experience with the AutoPC make you afraid of the Empeg.

The problem is that MP3 decoding takes CPU horespower, and the AutoPC just doesn't have the oomph to do it properly. The audio anomolies you describe are the result of having to lower the sampling rate of the audio output and smash it to mono instead of stereo. This is described in the release notes of the software.

On the other hand, the Empeg does full-frequency, full-sample-rate, full-stereo decoding. It does this while simultaneously showing 3D visuals and managing its hard disk cache. And it's only using up about 30 percent of its CPU capability to do it. That's the power of the ARM processor.

So don't be worried about the Empeg: Your problem is unique to the AutoPC.

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Tony Fabris