[BrianG]

Yes. The ONLY exception would be for any "opto" ESC. Those need an external power source, so you'd leave the red wire intact on those. But for any other ESC, no matter if its BEC is linear or switching, you'd remove the red wire.

Also note that programming certain ESCs might be problematic when removing the red wire. Some ESCs (like Castle's) use the throttle cable for programming, and the programmer adaptor powers the ESC when programming. If the red wire is removed, power is not getting to the ESC during programming. Just re-insert the red wire or plug the main batteries into the ESC for programming.