Sorry to hear about your troubles. I'm surprised the new power adapter fixed your problem the first time. I hate to say it but it seems that lots of the units of this design have issues: Kickr Snap, various Tacx wheel on trainers, etc. I would say your odds will probably be better with a direct drive trainer like the Hammer. That said, if I were you, I'd try to get Saris to refund your money (go ahead and threaten a shitty review) and then pony up for either the Elite Drivo or the Tacx Neo.... or stick with your Kurt Kinetic... or maybe buy a used Computrainer. The only reason I would recommend the Drivo or the Neo is because of how they handle power measurement. The Drivo has a bullet-proof power meter in it that doesn't rely on a strain gauge (and therefore temperature compensation) or any sort of BS algorithm that estimates power from speed and the setting of an internal brake. The Neo is a true direct drive trainer where you don't have to worry about calibration.

Are you using it with any virtual software? Is it turning off, or just having signal drops?

Mine has been great, first couple rides using Zwift i had some power drops due to how I had my Ant+ dongle positioned, but with different setup it has been fine.

Also changed to just connecting it through bluetooth and that works as well.

Mine hasn't turned off mid ride but it has failed to wake up when trying to turn it on. I turn it on by spinning the flywheel CCW without pressure on the tire. I have to unplug the power and plug it back in to fix the issue. I've had the Magnus since it was first released and it's happened maybe 3 times since then. I use it nearly 5 days a week so it's not often that it happens.

I have had some issues with the Magnus working with Trainerroad in ERG mode. Sometimes it doesn't adjust the resistance properly and I have to restart the app for it to be fixed. Trainerroad is aware of the issue but I haven't heard from them in weeks.

I've had the same issues.

Occasionally it won't wake up, but I just unplug/plug. It's annoying but not worth raising hell.

The TR issue is quite annoying. I'd say that 10-15% of resistance changes won't kick in until halfway through the interval. Sometimes it won't do it again in that ride, sometimes it happens again. Very random. Reboots don't really seem to help it too much.
I am to the point of trying the Virtual Trainer software now....

If you generally like TR but are having issues, PerfPro may be a better next option. Virtual Training is good for riding routes, but I think PerfPro is much better for workouts.

There is a new firmware update that just came out. I'll see if it fixes anything.

Also, Virtual Trainer kept crashing every time I tried installing the firmware. I used the online chat and they immediately gave me a link to a beta that worked fine.

You don't need their specific BT dongle to load the firmware. I order one from Mouser electronics for about half the price.

It turns off and I can't turn if back on. I try different outlets, pull the adapter out and back in, pull it out, wait 2 min and put back in but nothing.

Thank you all.

I spoke with Amex yesterday and they do extend the refund policy up to 90 days. So I am going to go ahead and return it and stick with my trusty dumb trainers.

I thought I was missing something with all the hoopla about smart trainers but I realized I was just missing headache. I also didn't like Zwift much. Much of the advantage of zwift is the social aspect which I don't care for. So it will be me, my bike with a pm, dumb trainer, and TR. Has worked flawlessly for 2 years.

Sorry to hear about your experience. Erg trainers can be awesome but only a few models are bullet-proof.

No biggie. Not willing to spend 1200+ on a trainer when 250 plus changing gears does the same. It's identical training.

You actually don't even need the dongle in the first place to update the firmware. I used the PowerTap mobile app on my iPhone to connect to my Magnus over bluetooth. With that connection, I was able to update the firmware to the latest version. However, I didn't notice any difference in user experience with TrainerRoad.

https://www.cycleops.com/support/firmware/powertap-mobile