Does remote control degrade the sound of tube preamps?


Some preamp manufactures (e.g. CAT) don’t put remote controls in their preamps due to the supposed sound degradation. This could also be just an excuse. Do you think the sound quality is degraded with a remote? I am talking about an audible effect.

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As a manufacturer we tried so many controls and recently replaced a very high priced control $400 that we added Audio Note resistors to with a basic ALPS, darn if we could really hear the difference.  BUT I an sure there are difference depending on what your system can show.

I doubt I'd hear any difference at all, and the convenience of having the remote would far outweigh any miniscule difference there could possibly be.

I've got a Herron Audio tube preamp, and I think at one point, Keith Herron did not offer remote, but there was enough demand for it that it now has it. For a great, great product, this is the cheapest remote I've ever seen in my life - all plastic, weighs almost nothing, and it's less than 4" long! Gets misplaced very easily, too! Maybe this was Keith saying 'OK, I'll give you a remote, but .... '

It seems that the consensus is that a remote will not result in an audible degradation of the SQ. Thanks to all who have posted.

I have Coincident Statement linestage, dual manual transformer volume control. They offered stereo volume control via remote for a short period, inferior sound quality vs dual mono. In some cases, this linestage being one, fully balanced, even to extent of volume controls, any blending of two channels will negatively affect sound quality. With total mono even through volume control sound staging is more precise, and center images are absolutely locked in, stable. MkII with even better volume transformers and my added Amtrans selector switches, extreme precision  switches only add to this precision.

 

Bottom line, volume controls come in many varieties, remote may or may not impact performance. IME any balanced pre using stereo volume control is compromised to some extent.

Bottom line, volume controls come in many varieties, remote may or may not impact performance. IME any balanced pre using stereo volume control is compromised to some extent.

Some have a motorised control, they manually moves the knobs.
So there is not obvious compromise in that style.