Interesting question.
Back in the day, a remote would trigger mechanical relays, servos or motors to increase/decrease volume or change a input. Today some of it’s the same, but…
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.