Does anybody else have a Mac remote that is a sticky, gooey mess?

bart1

Well-Known Member
I think this is one of macs weak points (remotes). I use my C41 remote and a 1/8" cable to control my 861 ( a bassackwards way of doing things to start with...) and the 861 has say on a side table untouched for a long time. It had a nice rubbery texture when I got it. Picked it up the other day and the surface of it felt like a piece of chewed gum. I wiped it off with a damp towel, but no dice. Stuck it in a drawer to see if that will help, but what other options do I have?

What can't Mac just make a programmable remote like my cheap TV or any other modern electronic component? A real black eye for such an otherwise top class and expensive(!) company!
 
basically useless data cables are part of the McIntosh mystique IMO!

I think its basically a matter where a company has to sell X units before it makes sense to use an in-house remote design vs. an OEM. I like the new style remote that came with the D100 vs. the C41 remote (which is a wall of buttons of which I press 2-3 of them), but now I'm worried it will one day turn into chewing gum.
 
You can always get a really nice aftermarket learning remote and store the original in a box so it doesn't decay as quickly..maybe.
 
I am not familiar with this remote by I have experienced something similar....with a vintage VW bus steering wheel.

On the VW forums, people often complain about their steering wheels feeling sticky and shedding material, especially when warm and humid. I had the same problem.

It turns out to be decades of grime from thousands of miles of driving. Gross. It takes a really good cleaning to restore it.

So, I am not sure how old your remote is, but it may be something similar.
 
You can always get a really nice aftermarket learning remote and store the original in a box so it doesn't decay as quickly..maybe.

Yeah, it's worth mentioning that when I programmed an entry-level Logitech remote for the C41, it could actually do things the C41's stock remote couldn't (specifically, turn things connected to accessory power triggers on and off).
 
yes, i had this same problem with my remote (for my MS750).... and very frustrating (and disgusting)... it kind of wears off after a bit - but still gooey.... and a real shame that a little more effort can't go into remotes......
 
Yeah, I can see that the remote for the C48 I have here is that same texture......
Its like certain Car steering wheels and gear shifters which do the same thing.

I think it might be the UV that does it or something like that....

I also agree that its a shame a little more effort doesn't go into the remotes...
After all, its the part we most often touch, thats the whole point of them, so why cant they be a little more in line with what McIntosh is all about rather than these cheap-shit remotes.....
 
As a follow up to this, I talked to Mac about it. They said I could send it in if I wanted or they could tell me a trick to try. Well, give me the trick, I'm kind of a DIY guy. Guess what: 90% alcohol takes the goo off with a bit of scrubbing and does not affect the lettering. Another thumbs up to Mac for taking care of the customer!
 
I've always put a sheet of Saran wrap on my remotes...no stickiness and easy to clean up. This works much better when the remotes are brand new of course but after you clean it up...wrap it up and you're ready to go.
 
I've always put a sheet of Saran wrap on my remotes...no stickiness and easy to clean up. This works much better when the remotes are brand new of course but after you clean it up...wrap it up and you're ready to go.
This sounds like my grandmother's living room furniture 50 years ago, all covered with clear vinyl plastic. :D
 
remote cleaning

Anyone that has been around remotes for 40-50 years knows that they require cleaning. I routinely take mine apart for yearly cleaning. Among the 10 or so remotes I have modded them to be easily disassembled and cleaned.
All it takes in most cases is a small file(machinist type) and some care. The easier the better. I wipe the contact surfaces with denatured alch. and let dry.
Anyone can do it.

The option is putting up with a flustering mess.

Paul
 
This is not skin gunk on this remote. It was rarely used. Had a nice rubbery surface a couple years ago, that like many Chinese polymers, broke down over time.
 
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Yes.
That happened to me with a MS300 remote. It became like that over time to the point I trashed it.

Brice.
 
I think this is one of macs weak points (remotes). I use my C41 remote and a 1/8" cable to control my 861 ( a bassackwards way of doing things to start with...) and the 861 has say on a side table untouched for a long time. It had a nice rubbery texture when I got it. Picked it up the other day and the surface of it felt like a piece of chewed gum. I wiped it off with a damp towel, but no dice. Stuck it in a drawer to see if that will help, but what other options do I have?

What can't Mac just make a programmable remote like my cheap TV or any other modern electronic component? A real black eye for such an otherwise top class and expensive(!) company!

Yeah it's something about that rubbery coating. For the longest time growing up I had a fascination with portable TVs and I finally started collecting some of the ones I wanted for a long time. One of those was a Sony FDL-3500 which was notable for being covered in that very sexy (at the time, like '94) rubbery coating which gave it a super high end feel. Well I finally got one in the original box and all, and when I pulled it out my heart sank to see the case material had degraded into that same shit sticky material. It's basically ruined the entire experience.

BMW uses a similar material on some of their door pulls and cup holders and it chips and flakes off, too.
 
This is not skin gunk on this remote. It was rearry used. Had a nice rubbery surface a couple years ago, that like many Chinese polymers, broke down over time.

I have a set of early Cambridge Soundworks satellite speakers that had a similar coating that also turned to gum. I was able to remove it with rubbing alcohol, paper towels and a bit of elbow grease. If you are handy you could take the remote apart, clean the rubber off and repaint with a flat black to match the original color.
 
I have a set of early Cambridge Soundworks satellite speakers that had a similar coating that also turned to gum. I was able to remove it with rubbing alcohol, paper towels and a bit of elbow grease. If you are handy you could take the remote apart, clean the rubber off and repaint with a flat black to match the original color.

Thats ass having to do that after spending over $5000 on a preamp.....
You would expect to receive a quality remote, not some shit generic plastic thing with a rubbery coating which won't last anywhere near as long as the preamp itself....
I think its a fail from McIntosh, when I pulled my remote out of the box and held it, I knew immediately that it was that rubbery crap that turns to goo, I was disappointed.....
 
Lol, Mac remotes are pretty bad. I almost feel like its some kind of penance for the fact that Mc always seemed like a company built around true audiophiles that would sit around their equipment and fiddle with the knobs. Not back on a couch.

I use a Harmony so it doesn't much matter to me, but if you compared some of these MC remotes (some of them look literally identical to the crap that came with a Sylvania tube TV 20 years ago) to the lethal weapon Classe includes with its devices or my B&O remotes... It's evident this is an area that could use a dose of the treatment given to the units themselves.
 
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Yeah... the remote for my C220 tube preamp is like grabbing onto a stale gummy bear. Disgusting. I received an email from McIntosh today and they said to use alcohol on it to clean it up. I messed with it a bit over the lunch hour, and alcohol does seem to work, but it'll take time to clean it up. What I was left with was a dull, ugly looking whitish finish on the part I cleaned. What a disappointment.
Does anyone have a good link to a universal remote that will work with my C220 as well as the Comcast cable box?
 
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