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Dead Bluesound Node 2

I have a Bluesound Node 2 that died recently and I'm wondering what I should do next. 
First off, it was only 3 years old.  I got conflicting reports from customer service as to what went wrong, but either way, it was working fine one day and the next day it would not respond and it would not re-set.  I have been round and round with customer service and as far as they are concerned, it is out of warranty, so tough toenails; they will not take it back for a repair.  They offered to sell me a new unit at a reduced price or a refurbished unit at an even lower price but somehow that doesn't sit right with me. 

My habit has always been to buy reasonably good gear and keep it for a long time.  It's also my habit not to reward a manufacturer with additional purchases once they have done me wrong.  I have never had a piece of gear fail so quickly.  I have never had a manufacturer tell me they would not repair or service a component.  This little guy was not abused, and barely moved from the time I plugged it in, so I don't think I did anything wrong. 

Now I know a lot of you folks love your Nodes.  Admittedly, I did too.  I used it almost every day, created dozens of playlists (which are presumably gone forever) and I even added a Qobuz subscription about 6 months ago.  I can't tell you how many friends I demonstrated this set-up for.  I was actually considering adding a 2nd unit for my primary system.  Basically, I was all in.  Now I'm just stuck. 

That's my tale of woe, so here's what I'd like to know:
Were my expectations for this component too high?  I understand that computer products have can have a short lifespan, but this seems a bit extreme.  So should I pony up for another unit?  Or do I try to save up for something more upscale and presumably better built (or better supported)?  Cambridge Audio has a streamer I think might work, but I heard not all streamers can handle 30k+ files.  I have actually heard several really nice units like the Aurender (at AXPONA) but that's probably out of my league.  So what affordable alternatives are there, that also sound decent? 

This is my first post/discussion thread here on A-gon, so go easy on me : )
Thanks for listening. 

WoofMan74
woofman74
big_greg
6,723 posts
 
I had an issue with mine recently where it kept trying to update, but wouldn't and then I couldn't get it to do anything.  A factory reset fixed that issue.  You don't need to be connected to the network to do it.

Steps to Factory Reset:
  • Disconnect the player from electrical power.
    • If you have a PULSE FLEX with a BP100 Battery Pack, disconnect the battery pack as well.
  • Wait 10 seconds.
  • Reconnect the power.
  • Once the LED turns Red, touch and hold the Play/Pause LED on the touch panel (It will immediately turn Green and then back to Red) - do not let go of the LED.
  • Once the LED turns back to Red, continue to hold the button for 30 seconds.
  • After 30 seconds, the LED will begin to blink red – then release the button.

mlsstl
1,472 posts
 
I realize it is frustrating to have a component die an early death, but those thing do happen. One marginal component (out of hundreds) in the middle of a circuit board that may have been good enough to pass QC at the factory can fail down the road. Every product made has that potential issue. Even a Rolls Royce will sometimes break.

Can't say that I've heard anything before about Bluesounds having a bad reputation (but I don't own one). I think you may be overreacting in turning down their offer to sell you another unit at a discount.

You obviously liked the unit until it broke. So, unless you just have an itch for something new and different, you might want to reconsider Bluesound's offer.
zkidd
105 posts
 
I have to chime in here as someone who has had a Rolls Royce. If my Rolls had an issue, the dealer and everyone would bend over backwards to get it fixed, give me a loaner, apologize all the time and never, ever told me I was out of luck. So, to compare the service of the Bluesounds to that of the Rolls (BMW actually) is not all that accurate. The better anlogy or story to tell is this: things are built to a price point. Ask any engineer. The Bluesound was built to that price point and once that is reached, it is either going to be good, or it will have a life determined by parts; less cost, lower quality parts, less life expectancy. There is a reason why high end products cost what they do. And another reason why I do not do digital / streaming.
Just my two cents...
gdnrbob
4,506 posts
 
@OP, I own 2 Nodes that I bought 2nd hand on Ebay.
Both are working properly, to this day.
Thankfully😌.
Bluesound customer service has a bit to be desired, but being persistant helps. I know. I had an issue with software that took months to resolve.
Bluesound eventually fixed the issue.
I would think Bluesound customer service would have suggested the reset 'Big-Greg' provided, but if not, I would do that, first.
And, if the Node is indeed 'bricked', I think the offer of a discounted unit is fair. The original warranty is one year, I believe. After 3 years, even I wouldn't push for a complete replacement. Now, had it been 1 year and 1 or 2 months, I would feel they should be a bit more flexible.
Just my 2 cents...
Bob
mlsstl
1,472 posts
 
zkidd -- you missed my point. The only reason I used Rolls as an example is they do break in spite of their initial build quality and stringent standards. I was not extending the analogy to post-sale service and repair. It doesn't surprise me that many lower price-point electronics are simply discarded if they break. In such cases, if under warranty, the unit is just replaced. That's simply the nature of computer based electronics these days -- things simply aren't repaired at a component level. At best, you might get a whole new circuit board, but even that isn't as common as it used to be.
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