Quote:
Originally Posted by music_man /img/forum/go_quote.gif
i am looking for a very small very basic universal remote. it must be very easy to use blindly. i prefer that it does not light.
all i want from it is: play,stop,track advance on the sony scd-1. volume up/down,mute,input select on the krell kav400xi.
any of the most basic $20 remotes would suit me but none of them do audio it seems. the ones that do audio are too complex to use while i am half asleep or too big for my night stand which is already covered with headphone gear.
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Having a good remote is more important than you might think.
Kontai69 gave you THE reference for remotes: RemoteCentral. That's the Head-fi of remote controls. One thing I learned as a heavy remote user, and particularly browsing in RemoteCentral years ago looking for a good universal remote, is that the remote is very important for maximum enjoyment of your systems.
When using any component in your entertainment system there is of course interaction between your vision and your screen and/or components' faceplates. But
the most frequent conscious interaction actually occurs between your hands and your remote(s).
There are plenty of human-machine interaction issues related to using a remote control effortlessly and easily. If there's anything annoying (to you) in your remote, you'll have to get another remote, or simply live with that annoyance every single time you need to use it. Notice what that means: if you keep using that remote, you'll have to expect some annoyance every time you are expecting entertainment (!) A good remote that you like and enjoy is really important, saves a lot of annoyance and frustration in all your hours of interaction with your equipment.
Initially, when looking for a universal remote, I had in mind something like you do now: a simple universal remote. Went for a best value One4All, recommended by RemoteCentral. Used it for a couple of months and then started getting frustrated because programming/teaching it was like programming a 20 year old computer in assembler (and I'm a computer scientist) You needed special key strokes, pressing of buttons and what not to program or teach that One4All anything. No user interface whatsoever is really frustrating, at least for me. There was just some blinking of a led, which stands for basically a luminous bit, that was all the interface you had to deal with. Aweful.
After much research I decided to get a Home Theater Master MX-500 Universal Remote:
If you have some time read this amazingly
comprehensive review of the MX500 in Remote Central. About 13 pages long! But shows what an excellent product this is. That remote is chosen by some high-end component manufacturers to go along their products (e.g.
Sunfire among others)
(I have absolutely no connection to these manufacturers, in case all of this sounds like a sales pitch)
Definitely I agree with that review, this remote became instantly a blessing for me. It is one gadget I have found nothing to complain about, on the contrary, it's a gadget that has exceeded my expectations. Have programmed/taught it to control absolutely all functions of my Marantz A/V receiver, my Toshiba DVD player, my Panasonic plasma, a Philips VCR, my Canon digital camera, and still have room to control many other components if I want to. At some point it also controlled a Sony TV, a Sony NS500 DVD player, and my Playstation 2.
After getting that remote, I gave the One4All as a gift to a friend, and there's been just one and only one remote operating in my house since. All other new ones that come with any equipment have gone to a box as soon as I have use them (if needed) to teach the MX-500 any commands.
I highly recommend it to you, or some similar type of remote, despite your initial minimalistic criteria for choosing a remote.
PS. In any case I'd like to add, looks like you definitely need a
learning remote Music_man. Just a programmable one won't probably have codes for a component brand that is outside mass markets, such as Krell.
