I agree that the receiver isn't new but they shouldn't have a programmed time life. And they should have replacements cards that do not cost almost more than a new one.
I also think that the AV receivers should be upgradable! New software and/or new board(s) and it should keep working well (like an upgrade of a PC).
I also would like to have separated pre/pros but I don't want to empty more my bank account. I can survive with a receiver like, first, a Sony STR-DB925 (still working in the office room), then a Pioneer LX-73 (SC-35) and, now, the Marantz 7011. After all this time the speakers are the same: B&W, and the TV was upgraded to a LG 65E6V but the old Panasonic plasma is still working. The problematic equipment is the Pioneer!!
NAD does indeed have modular/upgradeable AVRs, but the problem is that an expansion/upgrade card also costs several hundred dollars, so the value still just is not there.
For an AVR produced in 2010--It is obsolete, get over it. I don't like that state of affairs either, but unfortunately it is the reality. Even if the parts are readily available they are not cheap and even after all that time and $, you are still left with an obsolete AVR.
In my field, once a piece of instrumentation goes End of Life, it is pretty common for the vendor to guarantee support for ~7 years after EOL. Some vendors may say 5 years, some may say 10, but 7 is about average. After that, they will offer "best effort support". And, I can tell you from experience that sometimes that is actually "drag your feet support", to try to push you to the newest offerings.
I'm dealing with a very similar situation at work, an analytical instrument is 10 years old and has started malfunctioning. The board is $10k, just the board no labor or warranty on the instrument is included. An entire replacement instrument is $24k, with a 3 year warranty, but that model is EOL and there are only a handful left on the shelf. After those are sold, I am forced into the new model.
Basically, not my decision to make, I just need to take the info to management and let them tell me how to proceed.
That's just the way the electronics industry works.