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
WoofMan responds

 Ghulamr, while I did use the Node 2 to stream music from the internet sometimes, I primarily used it to access my 3,000 CD's worth of music files.  If I bought a mac mini or raspberry pi, would it be able to handle 33,000 16/44.1 music files and maintain a couple dozen playlists?  Maybe something to consider. 

I agree with you Mahler re metadata on classical music files; it is an all too common complaint, such that it's surprising no one has come up with a better way to deal with it.  I've heard Roon has a good system/user interface but don't really know.  Unfortunately, I have a relatively small number of classical discs.  It's just (meta)data right?  What we're talking about is a way to format that data to make it more readily accessible.  There has to be a a code-writing, classical music aficionado out there somewhere willing to take this issue on, no? 

EdwardJ I have had some issues like yours too, however no problems with my iPhone, just with my aging Android tablet.  Enough so that I have thought about upgrading my router/wi-fi. 
You did however manage to capture exactly my frustration with the folks at Bluesound.  Yes, so far, my options are a new or refurbished unit at a reduced price, they are not able or willing to service this 3-1/2 year old component.  That reduced price might sound appealing, if I hadn't already spent 500 dollars. 

MissTL I don't really disagree with you either, however my experience has been much different from yours.  My first CDP was a Sony ES 5-disc changer that took 10 years to die (needed a new laser) and that unit got a daily work-out.  All disc players since then have been Oppo units costing no more than $500.  2 DVD players and 2 BD players.  One went back to Oppo for service a few years ago (BDP-93 I think).  It cost me 50 bucks plus shipping one way and it is still in service.  One is packed up in the basement (the oldest unit of the 4, purchased near the turn of the century), but it still works, and the other three are ALL still in service.  My luck with disc players has been pretty good (5 for 5 knock on wood ;-).  My luck with Bluesound, not so much, 0 for 1.  : (   I'm not trying to be argumentative, but from my perspective this proven technology still sounds good (I listen to vinyl too by the way), and it has proven it's worth. 
Oh, and your in the same camp with my wife who also thinks I should consider getting another unit from Bluesound. 
Mlsstl
My apologies for getting your name wrong. My eyes just ain’t what they used to be. Sorry, no disrespect intended.

Since my last post I remembered one other disc player I had that is also still in service. My first DVD player was a Denon that featured a digital output, ca. 1998, I think. Currently, it’s in my mom’s system playing CDs.

There’s no getting around the convenience of streaming your music collection, especially with as many files as I have. Creating playlists for different occasions has brought me endless entertainment and fun. And streaming music from Qobuz has been a revelation. I knew ’computer audio’ was problematic in a variety of ways so I resisted it for a long while.

In my original post I asked if my expectations were too high?
Except for the guy who said "...stuff breaks. Get over it" nobody’s really addressed that question.
I really hope the answer is No, my expectations were not too high.
Thanks for listening and thanks for your input.
woofman74,You never actually described the condition/symptoms of your Node 2. What specifically is happening (or not happening)? Never lights up? Lights up but shuts down? No output?

Reason I ask is that I have a Node 2 that I thought was malfunctioning but it was just a setting in the indicator light display. It had changed to OFF and the Node 2 would power up but then "shut down" in a few seconds. My troubleshooting process was misdirected because the Node 2 had lost connection with the controller so I thought it was completely dead. Bluesound came through and suggested that I check the light display. Sure enough, rebooted the controller, it found the Node 2, I changed the setting to DIM and the Node 2 works fine.
Just a WAG.
Tom
PS: If your Node 2 is completely toast then, yes, I agree with you; it should have lasted longer than that. But if they're offering a reasonable discount price on another unit you can't complain too much. :-)
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