Some good thoughts. What does the "standard issue" Meridian CD remote look like, anyway -- I only got the system remote?
I like the Philips insight. Simple, elegant, cheap.
As for these honking, USB-connected, flash memory toting, back-lit, programmable, computerized, PDA-esque, learning, macro-enabled, do-everything remotes that cost anywhere up to north of $1k -- I'm just not ready.
My favorite remote is the one that came with my Rogue preamp: a nice solid hunk of metal with two metal buttons on it, one to make the volume go up and one to make the volume go down. I've got a programmable universal remote that came with a Marantz HT Receiver, replete with whistles, bells, wheels, screens and all that -- but the thing is horribly designed and there's absolutely no way that I am going to spend any time programming the thing, because then I'd have to use it and I already avoid using it as much as possible. (Figured I might as well disclose my predilictions...). Thanks again.