Relationship between Ethernet Switch and SQ

On my digital journey, I have found that sometimes just tweaks can make a notable difference in sound quality.  Better digital cabling for the Ethernet as well as USB or S/PDIF makes a difference.  Minimizing noise is also really important.  Last year, I was listening to the differences between music stored on my music-server and streamed through the same device.  The difference though subtle was obvious that the streamed music was not as micro-detailed and dynamic as the SAME album stored on the music-server.  I installed an Uptone-Audio Ether-REGEN device and that brought the streamed music on par with the stored music.  That Ethernet regenerator not only re-digitizes the signal, it minimized and isolates noise from the incoming signal.  Even my fiance could tell the difference in the music and she's not as attuned to subtle changes as I am.  The LHY switch referred to in some above comments is a really good device.  An audiophile friend of mine has one and is impressed with the improved performance of the streamed music.  As I've experienced in my continuing digital-audio journey, minimizing jitter, noise and use of precision clocks all have their place in improving sound quality and thusly enjoyment.  

I'm not here to troll.  But packets are packets and ethernet knows how to reassemble them. If it didn't then $%kdiow @#sedfm WE235* would happen.  

The rest of this, on the network side, is audio bling, unless your streamer isn't designed well to handle any electrical noise over its LAN port. And that is only theoretical. 

I feel bad for Fredrik222 - he's absolutely correct, but some of his posts are off-putting.  Then again, so are the responses to those posts...

I know not to attempt swapping IC, speaker or USB while equipment is ON

Definitely don't swap single-ended interconnects and if you swap speakers you have to pull the + first and put in the - first.  If anything bad happens when you pull a USB cable, then you've got something seriously wrong with that USB device. 

I honestly do not want to start or perpetuate an argument but analog audio logic simply doesn't apply in the digital or network domain.  It's fundamentally different.  

I owned the Bryston SP3. I too run all my music through my internet set up (server). I use NAS storage as well as internal 8 terabyte internal drive. I run Synergistic Research Ethernet hub, their Ethernet filtering, and their Ethernet cables and power cables. It all makes a difference. The EVO Aeon music server makes the biggest difference in my opinion. This server has the closest to vinyl sound for it’s price. The Ethernet hub is one of the best you can buy but many audiophiles could not justify the price. It is certainly very musical and much more versatile than my previous reference turntable but vinyl still sounds better to me. 

Also, I run 100 feet of direct Cat 8 cable to my dedicated room. Also your choice of DAC will be critical. Reclockers and external power supplies and grounding will drop that noise floor to a black background.

"Packets are packets and its all just 1's and 0's."

You IT guys are 40 years behind.  This discussion started when CDs first came out.  It's been proven over and over that digital audio is more than the bit stream.  If it were not the case most of this equipment today would not exist.  In spite of the naysayers, digital audio has come a long way.  I listen to my digital rig now with immense pleasure.  It competes easily now with my analog rig and exceeds in some cases.  

Until you have heard a decent audio system for yourself with and without various digital components added in, all of you IT naysayers look like cavemen claiming heavier than air craft is impossible.  

Yes, the digital domain is different.  In the analog world, less is more.  ie. keeping the signal path short and clean is the best path to great sound.  In the digital world, analog noise on the transmission lines and power supplies and jitter manifests itself as analog noise, harshness in the highs and poor imaging/sound staging.  Jitter doesn't mean much looking at text on a computer screen but it is everything when it comes to streaming.  It looks to me that the money we spend on digital audio components is mostly for clocking accuracy to reduce jitter that was not even possible in the best labs a decade or two ago.  Sure, some people don't hear or care about the difference.  One of my brothers likes his Sony boombox over my stereo system.  He's not kidding.  To each his own.  But why oh why do you naysayers feel the need to prolong a 40+ year argument?  Go buy a Teac CD player made in 1983 at a garage sale and have yourself a ball.

My latest DAC has internal reclocking on the USB in and the AES and Coax in.  It wasn't cheap but it unquestionably sounds amazing.  Another thing with this DAC that I noticed is that the noise floor got even lower.  I used to could hear the noise floor lift up as a song was starting with my old, very good DAC.  It was like a prelude to the song.   Now, the music starts from a total black background.  That took some getting used to as well- the music starting from nowhere.