2. digital
  3. 152840-137498

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
128x128woofman74
ghulamr's avatar
ghulamr
104 posts
 
I have to respond to this. OP - sorry for your loss. Yes I think node2 is an excellent entry level player. I myself bought one 4 months ago. But I think it’s not the best and you can do better. Their interface with music services like Amazon etc leaves a lot to be desired. Personally if I were to do this all over again on a budget (obviously If you can spend $$$ for PS Audio, Antipodes, NAD etc that’s great) - I would build a computer solution using Mac Mini or Raspberry Pi. The reason is - the streaming industry is not mature yet. Both on music services like Amazon, Qobuz, Tidal etc. and streamers. No one solution is fully baked yet. To buy yourself time build a Raspberry Pi and the sound you’ll enjoy more than node2. A little bit of work - but it can be a fun project and there is tons of write ups online. At least you will enjoy the music interface better than what node2 provided and the sound. Once the streaming industry matures you’ll be in better position to spend your hard earned money. Unless you are one of the audiophiles who has a $25,000 power amp and $5000 SPDIF cable where money ain’t a thing. 
Check the link
https://darko.audio/2017/08/allos-digione-pulls-five-star-sound-quality-from-the-raspberry-pi/

mahler123
3,384 posts
 
I agree with the above poster that the streaming industry isn’t mature yet.  Yes, it’s been around for 20 years, give or take, but it isn’t plug and play.  I listen to Classical Music and I haven’t encountered a classification system yet that makes sense.  I have better luck walking to my crowded CD shelves and finding a disc than finding it on the Bluesound App or the app of my other streamer, the Bryston BDP3.  Even when I edit the metadata to try to accommodate my own system, the apps tend to ignore all the input and revert to their own system (score one for itunes, at least that worked).    I have had streamers fail (Bluesound);  thousands of files uploaded to the cloud without my consent and corrupted (iTunes); and the Bryston, while it sounds amazing, has a music management system that is virtually unusable (more than half the time that I use it, I wind up listening to something else than what I am looking for, because I can’t find what I want).  Do any disc spinners issues compare to this?  A laser or transport that goes bad after several thousand hours of use is pretty forgivable in comparison.
  So perhaps as IT advances, in the next decades all this will be solved.  However, as I review all of the issues that I have had with attempting to master streaming, even Vinyl, with all of it’s rituals, starts to look easy by comparison.
musicfan2349's avatar
musicfan2349
241 posts
 
My sympathies to the OP. I have a Node2 that I've been enjoying with the annoying exception of my control device (iPhone/iPad) losing connection with it periodically. Evidently the range is rather limited. However, what I find truly distressing is that Bluesound refuses to take the OP's for repair? Am I understanding that correctly? Are they even quoting you a price, as it's out of warranty? Or are they simply refusing out of hand? If the later then for my next streaming device I'll be sure to choose a product from a different company, one which stands by their product and is willing perform repairs. The concept of a disposable audio component a simply unacceptable. 
mlsstl
1,440 posts
 
@woofman74 said: "Second, to the CDs are dead crowd, when my Bluesound Node decided to commit suicide, it was the ancient technological dinosaur silver discs and reliable Oppo player that saved the day when guests were here..." 

First, I don't think anyone said CDs are dead. I just like the advantages of convenience and greatly improved access that my ripped collection gives me. I still have most of my CD collection.
 

Second, I have had three CD players die on me over the years. One I fixed and the other two were discarded. I don't have a CD player in my main system anymore. Yes, it is sad that they broke, but I didn't question the worth of the CD format and go back to cassette, Edison rolls or player pianos. Things do break and need repair or replacement -- just a fact of life.
mr_m
1,900 posts
 
I have a Bluesound Node 2 for almost three years now, and it's been a very reliable, high value piece of equipment for me.
More to discover