anyone go from remote volume to no remote successfully?

guf · « **on:** 5 Mar 2014, 02:25 am »

Posting this in the tube circle because it involves a tube preamp i want to keep for my system....but there is no option for a remote volume. I am 100% digital mac mini based. So i A.D.D. my song selection and often need to turn it up for the really good parts of songs or different albums. Now if i was vinyl i'm sure it would force me to be a little less sporadic about my song selection. For now thats not an option. my DAC has volume control and so does the software player but i'm striving for the best quality with what i have so thats probably not the best option except to turn it down temporarily. So has anyone trained themselves not to use remote volume control after using it for years?

Alberto DeRoma · « **Reply #1 on:** 5 Mar 2014, 03:20 am »

Yup.

Went from McIntosh preamp where I could control a bunch of things (including A/B between digital sources) to a basic (volume, input selector) Shindo preamp.

Took me all of a couple of days to get used to it. Frankly, until you mentioned it here I hadn't thought about a remote (or lack thereof) in a couple of years.

With Pandora/Rhapsody (for casual/non-critical listening) I often have to get up to change volume up/down since there can be many dbs of difference between tracks.

I look at it as exercise and I really don't miss it.

Hope this helps,

Alberto

guf · « **Reply #2 on:** 5 Mar 2014, 03:47 am »

thanks Alberto. Funny you replied. I read your review the other day, i got a shindo pre too.

rockadanny · « **Reply #3 on:** 5 Mar 2014, 01:47 pm »

I'm fine w/o remote. At the time, I purchased the best sounding preamp I could afford which happened to not have a remote. Would be nice to have at least volume control, but got used to it very quickly. And can now tell how loud to set volume standing at the gear, relative to how loud it will be at my seat 90% of the time. After living with it for years I do not regret my decision at all. I'd still not give up quality of audio for convenience.

Elizabeth · « **Reply #4 on:** 5 Mar 2014, 02:03 pm »

I moved my main rack to the side wall. and out into the room a little, so the volume can be reached with my left hand.
No more remote.
Kept the amp over between the speakers, with a 6 meter XLR connection.

Rocket · « **Reply #5 on:** 5 Mar 2014, 02:20 pm »

Hi,

I have an N.E.W. p3 preamplifier which originally did not have a remote option. I eventually had a Cary remote volume kit installed in the preamplifier I wouldn't go back to a remoteness one again. It all depends what your preference is as I find it distracting getting up and down to adjust the volume control. Good luck if you go down the remoteness preamp path.

Regards Rod

Devil Doc · « **Reply #6 on:** 5 Mar 2014, 02:24 pm »

I don't have any problem walking 12ft. to my pre-amp...yet.

Doc

mick wolfe · « **Reply #7 on:** 5 Mar 2014, 02:52 pm »

Quote from: rockadanny on 5 Mar 2014, 01:47 pm

I'm fine w/o remote. At the time, I purchased the best sounding preamp I could afford which happened to not have a remote. Would be nice to have at least volume control, but got used to it very quickly. And can now tell how loud to set volume standing at the gear, relative to how loud it will be at my seat 90% of the time. After living with it for years I do not regret my decision at all. I'd still not give up quality of audio for convenience.

That pretty much summarizes my thoughts. Buy the best sounding pre-amp you can afford regardless if it has a remote or not. In my case it was a Shindo Aurieges MM. Needless to say, no remote, but I could care less.