EMPEG with "blue" display, doesn't match as well, but it's tollerable. The EMPEG is set to its maximum brightness.
EMPEG with "blue" display, doesn't match as well, but it's tollerable.
The EMPEG is set to its maximum brightness.
EMPEG with "blue" display dimmed to 60% of its maximum brightness.
EMPEG with "blue" display during the day.
BMW geeks: this is a 2000 Z3 Coupe with the "aluminum trim" option. Car stereo geeks: this is a 12GB EMPEG (now Rio) Car Player. This Web page shows how the EMPEG looks in a BMW with the "red" and "blue" faceplate. At night, with the red faceplate, I had the EMPEG at maximum brightness and it matched the dimmed gauges. During the day, the EMPEG was hard to see, so I decided to try the blue faceplate. Now, the blue faceplate, during the day, is roughly the same brightness as the BMW's gauges, and at night I have it dimmed to 60% of the max.
If I was king for a day, I'd make the EMPEG guys do a brighter display so I could have the red faceplate. However, the blue faceplate, while not matching my car precisely, is tollerable aesthetically and is much more readable, which is what matters.
The install was done by River Oaks Car Stereo and seems to be working just fine. The faceplate is recessed about 3mm deeper than the factory stereo was, but it doesn't bother me much. The only "problem" is that BMW's factory stereo uses a non-standard line voltage (5V?) and there's no gain control on the factory amplifier. So, if you hook up a normal head unit (the EMPEG outputs 4V), it ends up sounding quieter.