How do you add remote control to a preamp, here's how.


I purchased a new passive preamp on ebay (made in China) for little over a hundred dollars and.It looks very well built. There is absolutely no gain from input to output. The only thing in the signal path is an Alps volume pot and it is remote controlled. It has four quality inputs and one pair of outputs. I connected my sources to the passive preamp inputs and the pair of outputs to one of the inputs of the non remote preamp. Adjusted the volume halfway on the non-remote preamp. Wella, the remote now controls the volume and input selection via the passive preamp and it sounds marvelous.

phd

Another feature of the Schiit Kara is the output impedance is the same in active and passive modes. 

I don't like the idea of multiple preamps.  You can only harm the sound here. If you have to have remote volume control, I suggest it is better to get a preamp that has it.  

I have a Luminous Audio axiom. Don't use it a lot but Tim Stinson's little boxes are great examples of "less is more".  Available with a remote. However, the base unit like mine is pretty much invisible when it's in the signal path. When you pop the cover, there's nothing there and Tim claims it totally different from 90% of the passives on the market. Something about "volume is adjusted by shunting your amp's input to ground via our volume control to ground and allowing the signal to flow into the amp by a "valve like" circuit". I got no clue what that means but it does work nice.

jji666, the preamp is one of the most important pieces in the audio chain as you would agree. I really like the combination of my CJ preamp to my CJ amp, a lot of synergy Plus I'm not going to spend a great deal of money to get another CJ preamp with remote. So, I'm looking into the passive preamps that inflict the least amount of damage to the sound.

dancub, luminous Audio axiom has circuitry for remote control operation, correct? Also don't they require to know what the input impedance is for your power amp so they can configure the axiom properly to match and drive it successfully?