Ask S&V

Q I have a vintage preamp that I love (Audible Illusions 2C) but really need to be able to have remote volume control. Ten years ago, there seemed to be some good options for adding a volume control between a preamp and amp that were not very expensive. I am not finding anything reasonable now. Any ideas? —Michael O’Connor

A You’re right; remote volume controls used to be pretty readily available! For years, our company used in-wall electronic volume controls from Elan and Niles or remote-controllable speaker selectors from Aton. However, I found a few solutions for you to check out.

At the low end is the MCM Pro 50-8394 “IR Remote Volume Control,” which is a simple line-in/line-out loop-through from your preamp to your amp with an infrared (IR) volume control. Online distributor Newark.com sells these for $43.38. However, for your system, I’d recommend the PJL Electronics “Simple Sony Type IR Receiver”. It sells for almost three times as much ($179) but appears to have a much better design and utilizes far superior components that would likely be more sonically neutral for your system. It also provides 100 steps for precise volume adjustment.

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