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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

Showing 3 responses by ianrmack

ianrmack
227 posts
 
Recommendation #1: Keep your "questions" shorter and avoid the monologue. Many people will simply skip it....;-)

Rec #2: What is your system and budget? If you do not say, then your replies will be all over the map....or non-exitsent...;-)
ianrmack
227 posts
 
@corelli CDP can die, too.
CDs are dinosaurs. They are basically akin to putting in software discs in your computer to run an application.

Then we went to a server and ripped the files there.
Then the next ice age came.

Now we just use the cloud and stream from an unlimited library. OK, stay with CDs and keep taking them out, putting them away, cleaning them, changing them etc. 

So your tech broke...bummer.
Happens every day. But one used and move on.

ianrmack
227 posts
 
@correlli - I hear you, man...but let me just say...when I discovered "HR" tracks on Qobuz and could integrate that with the Bluesound app on my iPad to the Node 2i to a Chord Qutest DAC. I just about pissed myself with glee.

One "touch of a button" and I pick from 25+ Dead and Co. live shows in HR.
Then swap over in 5 seconds to a Wilco album.
Then fickley just surf s--- to find and suddenly cue up a live Pink Floyd album I never knew existed...in HR and sounding SO SO good....

It’s a real toy that makes incredible music happen at your fingertips.
Plus, it s a fraction the cost of CDs.
More to discover