Fiber will be installed next week…

[2FarGone]

Initially I can just connect to an ethernet port on the router I would think, but I wonder if there might be some benefit to using a fiber jack and fiber cable to a switch to convert back to Ethernet and thence to the Directstream. I wonder if having fiber service to the house might render the optical break idea irrelevant. Thoughts?

 

[Michaels HiFi]

Initially I can just connect to an ethernet port on the router I would think, but I wonder if there might be some benefit to using a fiber jack and fiber cable to a switch to convert back to Ethernet and thence to the Directstream. I wonder if having fiber service to the house might render the optical break idea irrelevant. Thoughts?

The one thing I've discovered about digital after dozens - maybe hundreds - of experiments over the last several years is that there is no golden answer that holds true across different homes.

There are so many variables its impossible to identify them all thus trial and error is always required.

 

[W9TR]

An optical break is an easy and relatively inexpensive thing to try. It made a substantial improvement in my digital playback system where other things I tried didn’t. As Michael noted every home and system is different and trying stuff out is a great way to find what works for you.

If the new fiber modem/router has an optical port I’d definitely check it out.

 

[Bones13]

With fiber to the home, you definitely should be free of outside the home electro magnetic noise. Only the in home router will be able to contribute noise. You will need to balance possible noise from the router, and possible noise from the converter at the end of your optical break. Some streamers/Dacs have an SFP cage to receive optical, most rely on an external converter to change the optical back to copper Ethernet before the streamer. Complicated to say the least.

Then you can get into the SFP device debates.

As @Michaels HiFi suggested, you will just have to try different methods, and see what works best at your house.

 

[2FarGone]

The one thing I've discovered about digital after dozens - maybe hundreds - of experiments over the last several years is that there is no golden answer that holds true across different homes.

There are so many variables its impossible to identify them all thus trial and error is always required.

I don’t dispute what you’re saying here, but my years in tech support taught me a few things of use. Probably foremost among them was the realization that, if I could develop an adequate understanding of the factors involved in any given process, I could safely jump a few steps in solving any equation intuitively. At this stage in my life, resources are limited, so that ability translates to fewer dollars spent without perceivable improvement.

I’m not there yet with audio. There are simply too many variables, but my understanding has improved significantly over the last few years. These days I move slowly. What’s different these days is that when I make a change, I know why I’m making it. Just trying to get my mind around it.