Why Does Good Remote Control Design Elude so Many Companies?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Helom, Jul 15, 2022.

  1. Mr. Bewlay

    Mr. Bewlay It Is The Business Of The Future To Be Dangerous.

    Location:
    Denver CO
    You can buy additional remotes for Roku equipment. Set-up is simple. My wife & I have one each, in case one of us can't be bothered to change the channel :laugh:
     
  2. Mr. Bewlay

    Mr. Bewlay It Is The Business Of The Future To Be Dangerous.

    Location:
    Denver CO
    They do that with their programmable mice as well. Mine is programmed to control different functions in different software, which is great until it randomly stops working without warning...
     
    Atmospheric likes this.
  3. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
    Yes, I like it since it was easy to use and difficult to make a mistake. You know which buttons were which when you grabbed it, without looking.

    my criteria for a good remote are the same for any other user interface: it must be easy to perform common functions, and difficult to make unintended changes.

    Back then we only had five channels, so that remote was good. If we had hundreds of channels, then a common function would be wanting to move dozens or hundreds of channels away, and then a different remote would be good and that one would be bad.
     
    Dave112 likes this.
  4. Helom

    Helom Forum member Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.S.
    All-in-all, I think this particular remote is the best I’ve used. It would be just about perfect if there were a few less buttons and the volume controls were further up, in place of the play/start/stop/skip dial thingy. The volume-up button should be shifted approximately to where the stop button currently is. Shorten the entire length by about an inch, and move the power button a little lower and toward the middle. Overall mass should be kept the same though. Then it would contend for best remote ever IMO.
     
    aunitedlemon likes this.
  5. samurai

    samurai Step right up! See the glory, of the royal scam.

    Location:
    MINNESOTA
    Here are three excellent remotes that I like.
    All three are metal.
    1. Wadia
    2. Bricasti
    3. Sonnet
    I've had cheap plastic remotes that liked to break, some came with primo equipment.
     
  6. aunitedlemon

    aunitedlemon Unity is in the pith.

    Location:
    Oregon
    I fully agree. I appreciate the mass of it in my hand. Not flimsy or cheap feeling at all. Good tactile response from the buttons and even easy to use over the shoulder (my amp is behind me). Your suggestion to centralize the volume controls and remove some buttons is spot on.
    "Dear Yamaha,"
     
    Helom likes this.
  7. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Incidentally, I just got an email from Hulu, informing me that they will no longer be compatible with my TiVo. That's okay, I don't access Hulu on my TiVo, BUT - it does bring up an interesting question:

    When a platform stops supporting something like a Roku or an older TV, or anything you happen to have a button with their logo on your remote control...are they gonna come over to your house, and take that off there so you can use the real estate space on that button for something useful...? :disgust: :waiting: :whistle:
     
  8. Helom

    Helom Forum member Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.S.
    If they were a HiFi brand they might offer you a trade-in credit toward the revised remote. $100 off the $200 remote with the latest and greatest layout of useless buttons.
     
    Dillydipper likes this.
  9. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Yeah-! :idea: Hey, OPPO - could I get a new remote that removes a Vudu button and replaces it with Qobuz...? (or whatever, I dunno if that's even a thing...)
     
  10. BilboAlaska

    BilboAlaska Forum Resident

    My Marantz remote quit so I got a new one and it also does not work. I guess the problem must be in the Marantz PM 8004 integrated amp?
     
  11. ibanez_ax

    ibanez_ax Forum Resident

    I don't know if that's the case. My Marantz is an NR1510 and I haven't had any problems during the month I've been using it.
     
    BilboAlaska likes this.
  12. kundryishot

    kundryishot Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wales
    I fail to see the point of having a remote with audio equipment. One has to get up to change the record over anyway. It just adds to the cost
     
  13. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Well, it's convenient for me when I have a babe in my lap...
     
  14. cut-out

    cut-out Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA, USA
    I mostly use it to turn down the volume or mute momentarily while I attempt to answer a question from my wife three rooms away. :rolleyes:
     
    John B Good, Tim 2, bever70 and 3 others like this.
  15. P3ESRXD

    P3ESRXD Arnaud, still enjoying...with what I have

    Location:
    Montpellier France
    [​IMG]

    my wife insists that I "can" order in option (a bit less than 300€) with the ISx Reference the quite expensive two buttons remote as seen here :righton:

    details here from reviewer
    High Fidelity
    "
    The ISx Reference Amplifier is a classic device designed according to the "less is more" principle. Its creators gave up almost all features that make using the device more convenient, except for the remote control. I'm pretty sure that if they could, they would get rid of it too. Since today the remote control is a standard feature they had to offer it but to stay in harmony with their conscience, they used a circuit of their own idea, which they called "Zero Side Effect Remote Volume Control".
    "

    or here
    Home review
    [​IMG]
     
  16. MattHooper

    MattHooper Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Goodness that Ayon remote is like the perfect nightmare. Endless little buttons the same size with teeny icons. Looks almost like it was made on a dare.
     
  17. MattHooper

    MattHooper Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    That almost looks like a photo from my set up. I have the CJ Premier 16LS2 preamp and CJ Premier 12 monoblocks.

    I like the general weight and classy feel of the CJ remote. Though I have transferred the commands in to my even better RTI universal remote.
     
  18. MattHooper

    MattHooper Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    I have the Benchmark LA4 and though I don't love the remote, it does feel nicer than most and I've learned to use it ok. The lack of discrete input selection (even when the remote suggests it has it!) drives me mad, though!

    I'll be putting the commands in to my RTI universal remote, at some point.
     
    timind likes this.
  19. P3ESRXD

    P3ESRXD Arnaud, still enjoying...with what I have

    Location:
    Montpellier France
    I forgot to say that my two Lavardin ISx were used without remote for many years.
    I found that the remote as option was too expensive.
     
  20. Old Zorki II

    Old Zorki II Storm Watcher

    Location:
    near Tampa, FL
    Yep. But weights probably half a pound! Fortunately I almost never use it.
     
  21. Helom

    Helom Forum member Thread Starter

    Location:
    U.S.
    Hmmm, idk, possibly because some like to stream their music, or skip tracks on a CD. Some find that nearly every track or album has a different ideal volume level. :shh:

    You’ve never sat down following the queuing of a record only to realize you should’ve set the volume a bit lower or higher?
     
  22. Old Zorki II

    Old Zorki II Storm Watcher

    Location:
    near Tampa, FL
    True.
    But interestingly enough some finer adjustments (loading and capacitance with phono, tone control, phase invert, etc) rarely available on stereo remotes, while I would think that adjusting those values while seating in your listening position would be ideal..
     
    bever70 and Helom like this.
  23. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    I used the HPA4 along with the their DAC3-HGC. The direct input selection did work with the DAC3.
     
  24. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    MattHooper and Tim 2 like this.
  25. Morbius

    Morbius Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookline, MA
    I think @Dillydipper, @cut-out and @Old Zorki II have the right idea, in addition to all those functions Old Zorki II mentioned, my McIntosh does all that except phase invert, but I can also do mono/stereo, switch the tone controls in or out of circuit and adjust trim +- 6dB between each of the individual inputs all from my listening position.
     
    Old Zorki II likes this.

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