The difference with A normal home stereo component is that you can usually buy one brand and run everything with the remote that comes with the reciever. I have everything from yamaha and I can run the cd player the reciever and the tape deck all with the remote that came with the reciever.

If I am reading right the (now discontinued) compaq music center had some sort of universal remote that would run a reciever also. So that would be another way to do it.

My cd player has a volume for the headphone jack.