Remote control

In late 2023, Apple retired its 7-button silver anodized aluminum infrared remote that Tortuga Audio had been using for the past 10+ years to control its preamps and preamp controller boards. These remotes are still available through the internet from non-Apple sources but in many cases they are old recycled remotes and many simply do not work at all or have faulty/broken buttons. Ask me how I know!

This Apple remote shipped with Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation) and featured an aluminum silver casing. The remote had 7 buttons including dedicated buttons for Menu and Play, and a round navigation button for pressing up, down, left, and right, and finally a center button.

Fortunately, several fully and partially compatible alternative infrared remotes have become available that work effectively as substitutes for the old Apple remote.

Tortuga Audio has identified 2 alternative Apple compatible remotes that we are comfortable supporting going forward.

The Function remote shown to the right is a hybrid clone of the the original aluminum Apple remote with similar buttons together with additional button controls. It’s considered a hybrid because it’s both an Apple clone plus can also act as an alternative remote for a wide number of different TVs. Not all of the buttons are used by the Tortuga Audio preamp controller.

Please note that the Function remote will only work with V4 series Tortuga Audio controller.

We now stocks these and offer them for $40 each but you can buy them directly from Amazon for less.

Pros

• Similar buttons as Apple remote
• Reasonably affordable
• Feels solid in the hand with nice rubberized surface/buttons
• Dedicated Power On/Off button
• Has extra unused buttons for future features
• Visible red action LED
• Slightly longer than the Nettech remote

Cons

• Because user can opt to change the default settings on the remote, there are settings which will not work with Tortuga Audio products and therefore will require the remote be reset to factory default (easily done though)
• Unused buttons may cause some confusion

The Nettech remote shown to the right is a functional clone of the the original aluminum Apple remote with the exact same buttons.

We now stocks these and offer them for $20 each but you can buy them directly from Amazon for less.

Pros

• Same buttons as Apple remote
• Low cost | easily replaceable
• Longer and thicker | easier to hold in the hand
• Pairs with Tortuga Audio preamp controllers same as Apple remote

Cons

• Cheap plastic feel
• Buttons can feel a bit squishy