I want to go on record to complain/urge that dCS offer an inexpensive volume control remote…not the $750 USD heavy metal brick currently on offer… am mindful of the Mola Mola DAC which is understood to be a very clear competitor to the Bartok, even reported to be more muscular and musical and they offer a remote similar to, if not, an Apple remote for simple tasks.
So nothing more than a volume control is why I make this request.
Totally tired of the “iPad” tax and the need to “boot” up the iPad to simply turn up or down the volume.
Willing to use the pad for song selection, etc…but…we spend major dough on these products but I am not impressed that dCS appears to not be willing to offer a simple inexpensive remote for volume.
Hi Warren, I share your frustration but got around it by buying the Logitech Harmony 350 remote - it’s their basic programmable remote and cost me £40 in the UK. You do need to configure it to use DCS codes but this is quite simple and once done it works perfectly - I can change volume more accurately, power the unit up and down, mute, pause, play, skip, change input. It’s made it much easier to operate. I have a Bartok btw.
Regards, Mike.
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Hello Mike,
Thanks for the tip. I see the 350 has been discontinued and the closest infra red is the 665. One question: the support doesn’t include the Bartok so am assuming you used the Rossini controls.
Best,
Warren
Warren , the dCS remote is called the Universal Remote. So it works for all ranges. For example the same remote controls my Vivaldi components and my Rossini Transport.Thus if the Logitech Harmony works for the Rossini then it should work for the Bartok. At least that appears logical ( oops, pun) to me.
Best Wishes
Pete
That’s right, I used the Rossini codes that were available in the app and they work fine. I was able to source a new 350 from Amazon in the UK but you’re right it does appear to be discontinued so might be difficult to get hold of. But it works a treat, very responsive. Cheers, Mike.
Warren,
if you are in the UK, you can purchase it directly from the logitech UK website with free shipping, without the need of the extortionate prices you now see for it at Amazon UK.
Best regards
Vladimiro,
Thanks for your note. Live in Canada but am surprised that Amazon UK has a higher price for these type of goods…it is typically the opposite here in North America.
All the best,
Warren
Remember that the prices quoted on Amazon UK include 20% VAT which is not applicable in N. America.
Trudat, although in Canada we had a similar, although less costly, GST plus provincial taxes. Thanks to all for your input. Found our Amazon (Canada) currently has the 650 on sale so have ordered one.
I know this is a prissy first world problem but these remotes are just vulgar over menu’d silliness…a simple aluminium app remote for volume only would be, IMO, an ideal solution for this issue as you will always need to “boot up” bigger fire power (iPad) ) if choosing song selection or playlist from ROON or similar.
My chiding post was just a recommendation to dCS that the inclusion of a simple and inexpensive volume control remote would be a perfectly simple, inexpensive and thoughtful addition to these products.
Logitech Harmony 665 - Amazon UK £ 69.99
Logitech Harmony 665 - Logitech website £ 69.99
Electronics in the EU are disproportionally expensive but, in defence of this, the relative social peace and norms you enjoy are, in part, paid for with this taxation. (when compared to the USA which is spiralling into race war)
Amazon Canada has this on sale at $49 CAD (28ish pounds).
Best all and stay well.
A simple remote that has easy access to volume and mute is a good thing. When I had a Rossini on loan the one thing that bugged me was the remote it is not an easy thing to use and I dont want to have use the phone all the time.
In the end I did not get the Rossini but bought a network bridge to go with my TAD dac and use a simple bluetooth remote to control Roon via Ropieee so no need to open the app just to play/pause or skip a song.
I meant the difference on the 350 
If you look at some of the prices on Amazon they are a bit crazy when you can still purchase it at the original price on the manufacturer’s website.
Warren seems to have fixed his problem anyway, even if he gets “a couple” more buttons on the remote than he wanted to 
Thanks all. Now listening to Boz Scagg and totally enjoying this “stinky over buttoned” volume control, a Logitech 665…if only dCS offered a simple, elegant, volume control matching the finish on our Bartok.
Best to all,
In music,
I have 2 remotes that came with mine when i got it, both dcs, one is black and has a silver inlay around the buttons, the other is more modern looking and silver, both metal.
I dont use the black one, but i need a remote to operate the cd player on the rossini, as the app doesn’t do it
The black and silver one you have is the one that came with the dCS second generation products or at least with Paganini and Scarlatti ( not sure about Puccini or Debussy). The big silver one comes with the Vivaldi DAC and Rossini Player but not with any other third generation product. For those the IR remote is now an optional extra ( remember that there is now Mosaic control as an alternative for non-transport options). The OP has a Bartok so no remote is supplied with that and the cost of that optional extra is $750 according to his posting. Hence his request for a simple volume only remote that comes with the product as he does not want to boot up his i-pad and use Mosaic just to control the volume.
The Logitech Harmony system works great with the DCS Bartok, although I need to figure out how to add the control for switching between headphone and line outputs. 
Genuine question, not trolling, why did you choose the Bartok over the Mola Mola?
Never had any opportunity to listen and compare short of ordering the Mola Mola one on line…would have sought out the opportunity if was possible locally.
For headphone users, the headphone amp in the Bartok is arguably “better” and provides more power, although some subjective bias does apply. Physically, the sockets are on the back of the Mola Mola which is just annoying! You can, of course, add an amp to the Mola Mola and still end up cheaper than a Bartok but hard to beat a single box solution for simplicity.
This is ignoring all of the design philosophies in conversion and electronics. They are both very good products, in my humble opinion.