Help optimizing my streaming setup

@cleeds - I meant a nearby lightning strike. :)  A copper wire can pick up enough energy from a nearby strike to induce damaging voltages, even if it's not connected to anything on either side.

I was talking about ethernet isolators, I pisted an example earlier in the thread.

@curiousjim I have a complicated set up as well. I have about 30’ from my home router and modem to a switch in my entertainment system. From there six devices get network access. For the best audio performance I should put the isolator right before the streamer, but because I’m concerned about an electromagnetically induced surge damaging any of the six pieces of gear I put it before the switch.

It turns out that inside a building isolators are better surge protectors than grounding devices, and the longer a cable run is the more likely it is to have a damaging voltage induced from a nearby lightning strike.

If your router uses copper to get from outside to inside get an isolator like this one to increase surge protection. Also consider one at the streamer.

I find this solution a little better than using optical converters in the middle because they don’t add more wall-warts that can add more noise.