>>Perhaps with a lot of work... but probably not even then.

Most of the Empeg functionality that I use or care for already exists in EMSC. It can be controlled with conventional IR remotes, including the Rio Remote. To make this software work without the Empeg only requires looking for the mp3's in a local drive rather than in a remote drive (when I use EMSC in streaming mode). So in my case, its a hardware issue, not a software issue. Can I make a PC sound as good or better than the Empeg? Can I shock protect the drives in a PC as well as the Empeg does? And how does the cost of doing so compare with the going cost of an Empeg?

Please don't get me wrong. I am as die-hard an Empeg fan as anyone in this board. I have three of them. They are amazing machines. But they are designed for single-din monochrome display (perhpas the only thing I dislike about the Empeg when installed in-dash, is the visibility of the display under a bright sun).