Changing remotes

I recently bought a universal remote – one of those new ones with the blue luminous display instead of real buttons. I started using it on the CDX2 and after a short time noticed some strange stuff going on. It seemed as though the sound was missing something. It was very subtle but when I went back to the Naim remote it was unmistakable. There was a slight but noticeable loss of oomph when using the universal remote. The thwack on drums was not so distinct and the leading edge of plucked electric bass was slightly fuzzier. The surrounding space on Brian Wilson Live at The Roxy closed in somewhat. I found this puzzling so dug out the old Phillips remote I used with my C.A.L. Aria, which operates some functions on the CDX2. The effects were even more noticeable with this. Dylan’s voice lost some of that sneering rasp, particularly on the remasters, and Beach Boys harmonies lost the extreme highs of Carl Wilson’s vocals. John Lennon’s voice, like Dylan’s, completely lost the “f**k you” attitude.

Initially I thought the luminous display might be causing some sort of field effect that may interfere with the CD’s laser, but that wouldn’t explain why the old remote was also affected. I confess I left the new one in the room all the way through so perhaps the display is after all having an effect. Has anybody else noticed anything like this?