Maybe I'm stating the obvious here, but Outlaw has a return policy for a reason. Returns are all apart of their business equation, and as consumers it's not our responsibility to concern ourselves with what they may do with a return,or what they think of us for doing so. They want you to be satisfied, but everyone has their own definition for it. I do not consider the volume control frivolous at all, it's something we use on a daily basis for years. The only way you'll know is to try it. Weigh the risk(cost of shipping) vs. the reward(a great sounding receiver) .

This all said however, Outlaw is far from alone in complaints about adjusting the volume with the remote. I've read complaints about most brands that use this type of control. That's why I like linear controls so much, but few stereo amps(Music Hall A25.2 is one) and receivers use them, mostly home theater ones.

If you're willing to retrain your brain though, the remote control can be fine to use. I played around with mine last night, and found I had to learn to use sharp taps for small adjustments, not the soft taps like when choosing the source or tuning the tuner. Sometimes you have to use a combo of soft and sharp taps .... like typing morse code. Sometimes you have to raise the volume a little to lower it where you want it, using various taps. It is quite usable.