Let me please get back to this a bit later, since while we are at the control-side of things, there’s just another interesting aspect of this new offering from Moon. Or, more physically speaking, one part of it that deserves no less attention that the components it commands. Ladies and Gentleman, here comes the BRM-1 intelligent remote control.
I don’t state this lightly, but the BRM-1 is, plainly speaking, a work of a genius. After a good few years of using various remotes made from plastic, metal, wood, yet all sporting the same principle of operation – Moon’s contraption is really something else. Using it is like having finally completed the physics required to obtain an anti-gravity propulsion. It’s just so different and – yes – so much better in both feeling and operation that your everyday remote. It’s almost entirely made meticulously crafted aluminium. The bottom is from two kinds of plastic (so that it does not scratch the surfaces it stands on – like glass etc.) and has every bit of design well thought out. Take, for example, the entire battery situation here: the battery in the BRM-1 is build-in and you can recharge it via USB-C. But to keep the looks cleaner – the charging port is underneath the remote. Yet somebody used their head and put a small groove in the base of BRM-1 so that you can route the charger’s cable through it. Well, yes, it’s a detail – but in real operation an important one. Since in this particular case – and I am talking about not only the remote but, the 791 ad 761 as well – it’s exactly all those details that really add up to something that you can associate with the “hi-end” badge.
As for the genesis of the BRM-1, I believe that Moon’s Costa Koulisakis will have a good explanation here:
“Well, IR (infrared) remotes have existed for decades. We believe the creativity possible with an IR remote has been largely exhausted by every manufacturer in the industry, and the funny part is that the remote is a critical element in the enjoyment, in the experience of the product. This is the part you hold in your hand and that you have physical contact with probably most of the time. You need to pick it up, look at it, point it at the unit you want to operate and push the appropriate buttons. In addition, if you leave the room with it, it’s useless as it requires line of sight with the product it operates.”
Clever thinking undoubtedly, and then Costa adds a few words on the whole user-experience thing:
“The BRM-1 is a completely different view on the experience, bring it much closer to where we want it to be. It is, first and foremost, fun to use, especially the rotary knob which mimics, to some extent, the feel of the front panel volume knob. As it operates using Bluetooth, no line of sight is required. Communication is bi-directional hence why it has a useful display on it. You will notice how quickly it responds and updates to any changes made directly on the 791 itself, such as a change in volume. For the first time we moved away from what almost everyone else does, being a long slab of aluminum with buttons on it that almost always looks too different from the unit it operates. The BRM-1 looks cool, acts cool (functionality) and is just plain fun to operate. The goal was to move away from conventionality and seriously enhance the user experience, and we believe we accomplished that.”
I cannot agree more on the last two sentences. And the only thing that I would like to emphasize is its, colloquially speaking, coolness factor – coming back to the usual remote is just plain boring.