When a Software Upgrade Renders Your Equipment Useless (Rant)

[ksjeff]

I have an ALO Audio Island headphone amplifier. Once I upgraded my laptop to Windows 10, The Island no longer worked. So I went to the ALO website, hoping that there is an upgraded driver for Windows 10. But there's nothing on their website regarding tech support, downloads, etc. So, I searched around and found a contact phone number. I called multiple times and got no answer, each time leaving a voicemail and my number. Never got a return call. So I kept calling, and finally today, someone picked up the phone, and it went like this:

 

Me: I have The Island headphone amp, and when I upgraded my laptop to Windows 10, my Island stopped working.

ALO: The Island had been discontinued, and isn't supported for Windows 10.

 

Me: Are there plans for developing a driver that will work with Windows 10?

ALO: No.

 

Me: Do you know of any 3rd-party driver solutions, or any solution at all I can look for?

ALO: No, I'm afraid not.

 

Me: So, basically what you're telling me is, this piece of equipment I bought from you not all that long ago is now just a paperweight.

ALO: I'm sorry, but yes.

 

This is so infuriating to me. I realize The Island isn't a very expensive piece of equipment. I love this hobby, but I'm not a wealthy person, and I'm not one who updates my equipment every time a new product comes to market. I also have what I think are reasonable expectations regarding the lifespan of audio equipment. But I purchased this headphone amp only about two or three years ago, and for it to be rendered useless because the company chooses to not develop a driver for a Windows upgrade is very frustrating.

 

I, for one, won't be considering any future purchases from ALO Audio. In the computer audio age, if your company won't update drivers to keep up with Windows upgrades, to keep the equipment operable, you won't get my business in the future.

 

Am I being unreasonable here?

 

Also, is there a solution available of which I am unaware? Thanks.

[ksjeff]

It's frustrating, I agree but the OP decided to put a new OS on his PC and that's what prompted me to respond the way that I did.

 

To the larger point which you address, if I bought new tires for my car and the motor crapped out on me, I don't think it's reasonable to expect that I can put those tires on my replacement car.

 

At some point in time, one is more or less forced to upgrade the OS. The larger issue here is, in my opinion, a company manufacturing and selling a product on the market, and less than 3 years later that product no longer operates on the dominant OS in the market, because they aren't interested in producing an up-to-date driver. We are not talking about an out-of-date product that is a decade or more old; this is a product I purchased new from the manufacturer LESS THAN 3 YEARS AGO! Hell will freeze over before I consider buying one of their products in the future.

[ksjeff]

"To the larger point which you address, if I bought new tires for my car and the motor crapped out on me, I don't think it's reasonable to expect that I can put those tires on my replacement car."

 

And by the way, that's a garbage analogy.

[ksjeff]

It's been about 10 months since I made the original post on this thread. Thought I would share this, on the chance that it is relevant to anyone else who has an ALO Audio Island USB headphone amplifier. Since my original post I acquired a new laptop, a spec'd-out Dell XPS15 that I needed for a new career. Anyway, I had basically forgotten about my Island amp. But after I updated my machine to the Windows 10 Creator's Update, I thought I'd give it a try, since I thought I remembered reading here that this update would be supporting USB audio 2.0. Well, I plugged the Island into the USB port, and was listening to music via J.River Media Center about 90 seconds later. No drivers to install; didn't have to do anything. It was truly plug-and-play. Cool!