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Is Remote Control Important?

How important is Remote Control to you when selecting components for your system. Do you consider buying products that don't have Remote Control, or only ones that do? If you had the choice of a CD player that was the best sounding, but had no Remote Control capability, would you buy it? Or would you buy the next best thing that had a Remote Control.

One reason why I ask this is, I have a friend who just sold me his entire LP collection because he said that he would never play them again, because he would have to get up off the couch to change records. When this same friend's reciever broke, I offered to loan him one of mine, but he refused because it had no Remote Control, and he would have to get up to change the volume. In his opinion, no music was better than having to get up to change the volume. And no amount of performance would substitute for a Remote Control.

Is this a predominant view in the audiophile world? Is convenience more important than performance?
twl
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I only care at my outside work office. But then, even there the only button I use is "MUTE" on the integrated amplifier.
mattybumpkin
590 posts
 
It is a personal preference. I like one, but only for basic features; mute, play, etc. However, I am willing to sacrifice convenience for play quality. I recently did this by going from a 5 CD carousel player to a single disc. So now, instead of having to change CD's once every 5 hours I have to get off the couch every hour. Less convenient yes, but the sound is so much better....

Call it my daily exercise routine.
kjg
171 posts
 
Remote controlled volume is very important to me, and does play a part in what components I consider for purchase.
peter_s
1,318 posts
 
I like a remote control, because (in the way of an adolescent!) I like to listenting to certain passages with more volume than others sometimes. Volume is the most important feature of a remote control for me. In addition, since I don't have a dedicated listening room, sometimes listening is interrupted with (gasp!) conversation with another member of my household (like my girlfriend), and I don't like to have to jump up off the couch to tell her where the rivet gun is (or something...).

So, a remote control preamp (for volume) OR a CDP with analog volume control and remote is a must for me. Maybe I haven't heard the highest of the high ends yet - enough to convince me to forego.
lugnut
1,190 posts
 
Performance is the top priority. I must admit that I like my remote for the same reasons as stated by others but I wouldn't miss it if it were gone. I still shift gears in my real car.
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