Purchase breaks well within 30 days

Thanks for all the input its way eye opening especially the ones who seemingly were mad at me for expecting more from fellow audiophiles when buying a premium product.

I failed to express my expectation to seller prior to sale that if doesn't work soon after receipt and requires a major and lengthy repair that I would want to return it during first thirty days.

I did not insist that seller take it back nor did he offer to take it back.  I did tell him that such an offer would have been forthcoming had I been the seller.  I left it at that.  

Happy Listening 😊 

I agree with the majority view here - price is immaterial. The seller made a representation that the unit worked for him.  It worked for you when it arrived as well as for a couple of weeks afterward. In the absence of an express warranty agreed to between buyer and seller, the seller has fulfilled his obligations and has no further obligation unless the jurisdiction(s) involved have statute law that imposes a greater duty on a seller.

If the seller had concealed a known (to him) condition that the unit worked sporadically it would be very different, but that would be hard to prove.

All audio gear is subject to failure sooner or later. Too bad for you that it was sooner, but as long as the item was represented to you correctly, I don't think you'd have any expectation of redress.

OTOH, if I was on the seller's end of such a deal and the gear went wrong, I would certainly cooperate with the buyer in making a warranty claim as the original owner if that was required (in your case it is not).

And I hold these opinions not as a hobbyist/layman, but as another lawyer, though in a different jurisdiction than yours.

It is a real bummer when this happens (breaks soon after receiving it). I think you are lucky that it will be repaired, no charge.
If I were the seller, completely unaware of any problems, sold it. I would not accept a return.
 Simply because it worked perfectly when I sold it. It could've been tossed around when shipped, buyer may have screwed something up...
 It's too bad this happened, but, the seller isn't responsible from what you have stated.

Wow. Life happens and not always the way we intend.
You bought a lemon. Way less of a problem than so many out there today are facing. And you have an out. You get to make lemonade out of those lemons, you have a valid warranty. Get it fixed and move on.

Grasshopper, your answer(s) lie in Karl's Crazy Code, as amended.