Joe, I think presuming that a preamp w/o a remote is superior to a preamp w/ a remote is a real stretch. As I said earlier, I've owned a few 'high end' preamps w/o remotes from manufacturers like Coda, Krell, Threshold, Conrad Johnson, etc. I have also owned preamps with remotes from manufacturers like Threshold, VAC, ARC, BAT, Krell, etc. As far as what I've heard, the preamps overall design is much more important sonically than whether the preamp has a remote or not.
Grant's preference for the Lamm over the ARC would probably stay the same if the Lamm had a remote and the ARC did not. I've heard enough preamps to know that I believe the remote is a non-issue sonically compared to the design of the preamp. FWIW, I've found that I prefer tubes over SS preamps. That is a major difference to me. Arguing over whether a remote improves or degrades the audio experience is like arguing over whether a phase switch is necessary or not.
The enjoyment of sound is in the design of the preamp, not the bells and whistles. That's my $0.02.
Cheers,
John
Grant's preference for the Lamm over the ARC would probably stay the same if the Lamm had a remote and the ARC did not. I've heard enough preamps to know that I believe the remote is a non-issue sonically compared to the design of the preamp. FWIW, I've found that I prefer tubes over SS preamps. That is a major difference to me. Arguing over whether a remote improves or degrades the audio experience is like arguing over whether a phase switch is necessary or not.
The enjoyment of sound is in the design of the preamp, not the bells and whistles. That's my $0.02.
Cheers,
John