Worst remote nomination...

Agree with your assesment of the Wadia remote.
I upgraded my Wadia 16 to a 16i. New metal remote came with the upgrade. I used it twice before going back to the original plastic remote.
Metal remote was much more confusing and too heavy when compared to the plastic remote. Have had it for 5 years and never replaced batteries yet.

Arcam DV27A Only reason I can figure is they put the money inside the box cause they surely did not put ANY effort into the remote design.

The ultimate Worst Remote is the one that controls the Wadia 7 transport and Wadia 9 DAC. It is a heavy metal affair about 6x4x1 inches. Don't drop it on your toe!

The roughly 20 buttons are decent sized but arranged in a rectangular grid. All are the same size and color. The labels are low contrast and hard to read. This layout is totally un-ergonomic.

I have two of these (one each came with the transport and DAC) but only use them to program my universal remote.

Emm Labs CDSD hands down. Unit sounds terrific however.

I second the EMM Labs CDSD. Heavey, shiney and gets slippery. Buttons are tiny and all the same, with no logic to the layout. Amazingly, it is machined from solid aluminum billet, you can still see the tool path marks on the inside.

The unit it controls however sounds fantastic. I just use my universal remote and have packed the EMM remote away.