The perils of early adoption

[Cricketbat70]

Going back a few years ago I really got taken with the idea of hifi that could stream music from a NAS and the internet. I was torn between a Sonos connect amp and a Denon RCD-N7 CEOL system. In the end I went for the Denon as it also has a CD player and I could plug my Sony MP3 player into the front USB, although that function tended to be hit and miss, sometimes playing fine, other times not even recognising the MP3 was plugged in. Online services were limited to LastFM and Napster. Neither of which are much use to me. I had it set up in the dining room as a second system the main hifi in the front room.
After having the device a couple of years I switched ISP and went with BT and got a homehub4 instantly my Denon stopped communicating with my NAS the PC didn't even recognize the Denon on the network. Although like the Denon the homehub was supposedly DLNA and UPnP, BT's implementation of it was poor, no amount of messing with the homehub settings could get it to recognise the Denon. Also Netflix on the Roku wouldn't work. We spent hours on the phone to both Netflix and Roku trying to sort the issue, not thinking that maybe the homehub was the problem (lots of googling afterwards and we found loads of other people having issues with the BT homehub and Roku, Chromecast etc). We cancelled Netflix before we had even got started. Any way after the minimum contract with BT we went back to our original ISP and their router and instantly the Denon was working again.
Back to the Denon, If only I had waited a couple of years for the RCD-N9 when Spotify was added to the online services. Hindsight is brilliant. The RCD-N7 is now connected to my main system just used as a CD player and streamer from my NAS bypassing the Denon's internal amp
Any one else bought tech/hifi, that with hindsight they wished they had waited a bit for a better product.

 

[twinkletoes]

I think It happens far less these days, but we had the ill-fated CD-i format in the house as a boy. I guess that technology eventually helped spawn the DVD revolution in one way one another.

 

[Revolutions]

I always found it interesting that mobile phone & computer game companies have convinced us to upgrade every 1-2 years.

I bought a minidisc stereo & Walkman player when I was about 16. I ripped all my cds onto minidisc. Super useful until I started driving, and then a couple of years later I got an iPod.

My hifi has pretty much always been cd & vinyl so never had that problem. Although now I’m finally getting into streaming - this post has made me realise that a separate streamer rather then integrated is the best way to go. Like fashion: stick to the classics for the most part, then add flourishes that might come and go.

 

[Cricketbat70]

I think It happens far less these days, but we had the ill-fated CD-i format in the house as a boy. I guess that technology eventually helped spawn the DVD revolution in one way one another.

But then we are at the mercy of tech companies whims. The company that made my NAS drive pulled support for it a couple of years ago and discontinued the web based interface. It was only a couple of years old. I can still play music from it but getting CDs ripped to it takes more steps. Also what about those that were early adopters of Sonos, It was only after a massive backlash from early adopters, that Sonos back tracked on their plan to brick all old Sonos gear with OTA "update" and use two versions of their app, one for old gear and one for the new stuff.
I didn't realise my connect amp was compatible with the series 2 app until a couple of months ago. It stopped working with series one and I just kicked off "oh great so Sonos promised old gear would still work with the series 1 app and mine has been bricked" it was looking on Google recently that I found out the serial number underneath indicated mine was compatible with the series2 app. So I got it out of storage and tried it 🤣 yep it works but I've stuck something else where the Sonos used to go 🤦

 

[Revolutions]

Oops, that mention of Sonos just made me realise that I invested in Bose Soundtouch. Tbf I’m still really happy with them, at least since AirPlay 2 functionality was added. The buttons on the top are great for radio. And having decent sounding speakers for the kitchen & the bedroom without the fiddly nature of Bluetooth is excellent. But the fact Bose launched a new range that isn’t compatible with the old models is so, well, Bose. I don’t regret avoiding the Sonos app years back (Bose worked inside Spotify so don’t need to use their awful app), but looks like I bet on the wrong brand,

 

[Cricketbat70]

Oops, that mention of Sonos just made me realise that I invested in Bose Soundtouch. Tbf I’m still really happy with them, at least since AirPlay 2 functionality was added. The buttons on the top are great for radio. And having decent sounding speakers for the kitchen & the bedroom without the fiddly nature of Bluetooth is excellent. But the fact Bose launched a new range that isn’t compatible with the old models is so, well, Bose. I don’t regret avoiding the Sonos app years back (Bose worked inside Spotify so don’t need to use their awful app), but looks like I bet on the wrong brand,

I don't know whether it's just the company I work for or the UK in general but Bose pulled the plug on us a couple of months ago, we used to be big Bose and Sonos retailers. After Brexit Bose whittled down the UK staff to one rep covering the entire country instead of regional reps and stock just seemed harder and harder to get hold of and then like I say the plug was pulled a couple of months ago. I don't think the shop managers were bothered though they prefer Sonos so obviously anyone comes in for Bose now and we just sell them Sonos.

 

[Gray]

I always found it interesting that mobile phone & computer game companies have convinced us to upgrade every 1-2 years.

That's the fault of the convinced rather than the convincers.

I admit it's just as well that everyone is not like me though - otherwise there would be no advertisers, retailers or goods to buy - and the economy would probably be in (even bigger) trouble 🤨.

On the thread subject:
I've never suffered the perils of early adoption.

 

[Cricketbat70]

I've never suffered the perils of early adoption

I wish I hadn't 🤣 that's why I've gone back old school-ish Denon DRA-F101 in the dining room - where the RCD-N7 used to be - with a Chromecast audio for streaming and a chromecast audio connected to the front room system.

 

[JDL]

I don't know whether it's just the company I work for or the UK in general but Bose pulled the plug on us a couple of months ago, we used to be big Bose and Sonos retailers. After Brexit Bose whittled down the UK staff to one rep covering the entire country instead of regional reps and stock just seemed harder and harder to get hold of and then like I say the plug was pulled a couple of months ago. I don't think the shop managers were bothered though they prefer Sonos so obviously anyone comes in for Bose now and we just sell them Sonos.

I was reading the introductory blurb written by a vintage hi-fi repair man in Australia, who's company is called Liquid Hi Fi. He was waxing lyrical about 90s CD players and things. Then he did a list; Things we won't fix. Bose was conspicuously on that list. I have no idea why , but there we are.

 

[Cricketbat70]

I was reading the introductory blurb written by a vintage hi-fi repair man in Australia, who's company is called Liquid Hi Fi. He was waxing lyrical about 90s CD players and things. Then he did a list; Things we won't fix. Bose was conspicuously on that list. I have no idea why , but there we are.

I know when we did sell Bose we weren't allowed to fix them, Bose insisted they did their own repairs. So our workshop would fill in the online forms and UPS would pick the items up and it would be shipped to Belgium, Bose European HQ.

 

[Revolutions]

I know when we did sell Bose we weren't allowed to fix them, Bose insisted they did their own repairs. So our workshop would fill in the online forms and UPS would pick the items up and it would be shipped to Belgium, Bose European HQ.

Probably don’t want anyone to know about the dirt cheap components they use.

That said, if it’s reliable & it sounds good, I have no complaints. Which Bose did sometimes get right. Sadly, the number of their products that quickly became obsolete was a bit of problem. Apart from my (outdated) Soundtouch speakers & QC35 headphones, I’m not even sure what they sell these days.

 

[twinkletoes]

But then we are at the mercy of tech companies whims. The company that made my NAS drive pulled support for it a couple of years ago and discontinued the web based interface. It was only a couple of years old. I can still play music from it but getting CDs ripped to it takes more steps. Also what about those that were early adopters of Sonos, It was only after a massive backlash from early adopters, that Sonos back tracked on their plan to brick all old Sonos gear with OTA "update" and use two versions of their app, one for old gear and one for the new stuff.
I didn't realise my connect amp was compatible with the series 2 app until a couple of months ago. It stopped working with series one and I just kicked off "oh great so Sonos promised old gear would still work with the series 1 app and mine has been bricked" it was looking on Google recently that I found out the serial number underneath indicated mine was compatible with the series2 app. So I got it out of storage and tried it 🤣 yep it works but I've stuck something else where the Sonos used to go 🤦

That's not early adoption that's planned obsolescence through software by a pretty unscrupulous company. if its only a couple years old that bad BUT how long was it on the market before you bought it? that's the question. Computer stuff moves at a rate of knots it's why I dont spend out much streamers, or all in one boxes that rely on apps to control them.

 

[Cricketbat70]

That's not early adoption that's planned obsolescence through software by a pretty unscrupulous company. if its only a couple years old that bad BUT how long was it on the market before you bought it? that's the question. Computer stuff moves at a rate of knots it's why I dont spend out much streamers, or all in one boxes that rely on apps to control them.

To b fair I don't know how long it was on the market before I bought it probably a good number of years. Again like everything I buy, bought on a budget Seagate 3TB NAS for around £150 from Currys.