I have mentioned in various threads, my dislike of cheap plastic remotes supplied with “high end” gear
Not by specific intent, I have eliminated most of the basic plastic remotes, I will say the quality of the remote was a least a consideration when making purchases
While I understand the need for manufacturers to control cost, an option for a higher quality remote, at additional cost, would be most welcome
My system remotes pictured, I will say that the Esoteric does have a plastic bottom, the top plate is aluminum and it feels substantial in your hand
What are your thoughts? Do you consider the quality of the remote, when making purchases? Best remote you have used?
The Conrad-Johnson RC-20 is CNC machined from a solid billet of aluminum and is hefty enough to be used as a bludgeon. And its price is hefty as well at $350 + shipping.
Yes - though difficult to assess before purchase (and a few hundred pounds for a remote is excessive imho).
My RME ADI 2 DAC remote is plastic, decent size, but oh the buttons for volume are poor!
Delay on pressing, then moves too fast, then stops because you are not holding the button down quite right.
Bah.
I would like to take this remote for a spin, literally
Definitely not an afterthought from the team at MBL
Backlit and the chrome ring is the volume adjustment
i built a couple of these (with simple preamp volume thing at the other end of the wire) - nice industrial feel, toggle switch for volume, and the rotary switch can be used for selecting inputs. relays and an alps motorised pot.
not as elegant as a cnc milled hunk of Al, but effective and satisfying to use
The second remote from the right doesn’t look like it would dent a wood floor or chip a ceramic tile when dropped. I’m fine with metal remotes if they don’t have sharp edges or weigh too much.
I’ve never considered the esthetic or tactile qualities of the remote when purchasing hi-fi gear.
Best remote: IPad when applicable. Most unsatisfactory: Logitech do-it-all remote (can’t recall the name) from back in my Squeezebox days.
I prefer tactile remotes I can click without having to look at a screen. Especially since I listen to music with the lights dimmed and with my eyeglasses off
It’s an 8 pin locking DIN, Cat 6 cable: 0v, 5v, a pair to return to the motor-pot, then wiper and 3 contacts on the rotary switch. The top LED is a red/green inverse pair across the pair returning to the motor-pot, so Red= volume increase, green= volume decrease. It’s about the simplest setup I could come up with that provides the functionality I wanted, and involves no microprocessors or clocks to make noise.
The other end can be whatever pre-amp I’ve cooked up at the time, but again simple circuits and passive where possible, as long as I put a DIN socket on the back to connect the remote shiz.
I guess you could call it an analogue remote control
Pics tomorrow, I’m just about to go to bed, but thank you for your kind words!
Mine only has two oversized buttons: Vol Up, Vol Down. To adjust volume or mute I do not have to: learn anything, or remember anything, or interpolate cryptic labels, or put on my glasses, or turn up the lights, or fumble with it, or get annoyed when I mash the wrong button and then have to stop in the middle of a symphony to figure out what I did, or even look at it. What a pleasure!
I ordered it at extra cost with my Rogue Perseus Magnum preamp. It is all metal, not too heavy, and sits comfortably in my hand. After setting up my PS and Jay’s boxes, all their remotes sit ignored in a drawer, awaiting the day when their batteries leak, destroying them.
My boss, who has little interest in all of my boxes but loves to listen to music, knows how to use the elegant Rogue remote. And, because Rogue was classy enough not to put neither a logo nor lettering on the 2 button remote, it looks classy sitting on a redwood side table between our chairs.
Hey, I’m looking for a Genesis Digital Lens remote control. If anyone has one lying around, not using it, and would let it go please contact me. Thanks!
