Best way to add remote volume control to tube pre.


What is the best way to add remote volume control to a high-quality tube preamp?
Placette?
An inexpensive but quality
solid state preamp like a Rowland Capri in front of the tube preamp?
Something else?
I really don't want to degrade the sound too much.
Should this be done at all?
Any thoughts would be welcome.
rgs92
An external box is convenient, but if you want the best sound, take a close look at motorizing the internal stepped attenuator-- or perhaps even replacing the stock attenuator with a better attenuator in conjunction with a motor drive. Assuming you're handy, you could buy a great compact SMD attenuator like Goldpoint or DACT, together with a motor drive, and achieve better sound than you're getting now, at much less cost than a Placette or equivalent RVC, and without the degredation and cost of additional ICs.
The Placette Passive remote can be purchased for less than the Space-Tech unit on the used market and utilizes 1% matched Vishay resistors throughout. I'm certain if Space-Tech went to that expense(and attention to quality), they would advertise the fact. (http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatran&1218574337) (http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatran&1220293601)
The Placette is perfect for the application, I used one with a CAT SL1 Ultimate so I could have finer control the CAT's increments - I could hear no difference with RVC in the chain. Don't be suprised if the Placette alone sounds better than your tube pre though - it just might in a passive friendly system.