A few years ago friend/dealer was trying to sell me a new Manley preamp with no remote control. I told him I want a remote volume, he said, that's what your kids are for. I took his advice to heart and they've done volume runs for me ever since.
The funny thing is that from week to week my volume control is different. Sometimes it's on the DAC, sometimes it's on the integrated amp, lately it's been a software slider in JRiver, now back to the DAC. Sometimes they turn the wrong knob and complain it doesn't work.