COX Cable Modem Question

Update:  I dont' like the first box that touches outside wiring to come directly to ANY internal device but more for fear of surges taking out everything connected to it than noise/audio issues.

In my case I have the cable company's router/switch comes in and it is air-gapped by fiber to my personal router.

If your service is via coax:

• Put in a gas discharge surge protector outside
• If it only connects to other devices via Ethernet, you wont’ have a ground loop issue, but if it goes to a set-top box that goes to HDMI or something like that you might. You’ll want a ground loop isolator.
• Consider for additional safety, or if you don’t want to use a coax surge protector an Ethernet isolator like this one:

https://amzn.to/3JkDG1g

@ghdprentice This is really helpful, thank you. I think I’m good for now as far as the IT side.

It is so what dependent on if you like fiddling with IT stuff or would rather not. If not… the better the streamer you own the better the sound will be. A good streamer isolates, noise wise, from your network connection and buffers the file… making the network connection relatively unimportant. My streamers work even when I can’t update a web page on my iPad. I recommend Aurender streamers.

Alternatively, you can fiddle with your routers, connections, regenerators, linear power supplies… etc… basically cleaning up the incoming pipelines. If you like IT and tweaking this is great fun and can bring the same benefits of getting a good streamer.

I was in IT for most of my career. I don’t want to screw around with the network. My vinyl leg sounds the same as my streaming leg and with high Rez files better than my CDs. My streamer works from a wall wart wifi extender and an Ethernet extender did not improve the sound… I have a high quality streamer.

So, either route can improve the sound greatly.