If you stream music from the internet, I can't recommend this more highly


I had been using a Roon Nucleus to stream Qobuz, with my Chord Qutest directly connected to the Nucleus. I thought I was getting pretty decent sound quality. And then I got a marketing email from Small Green Computer touting some of their optical gear. The basic idea is that normal cables and connections used to stream from the internet pick up noise of one kind or another (radio frequencies and electromagnetic something or other). But fiber optic cables and their connections/interfaces do not. I don’t know anything about anything, but it made theoretical sense to me, it wasn’t a huge amount of money ($1,400), and with a 30 day return policy I figured I could always return it if I didn’t hear any improvement. Well, I didn’t just hear a slight improvement; it was like turning on the lights in a dark room. Much greater clarity and detail, much better micro and macro dynamics, better timbre to acoustic instruments -- overall just more lifelike. Two quick examples: I’ve listened to some of Steely Dan’s top songs 100s of times over the course of my life, and this is the first time I’d ever noticed a particular and very subtle sound characteristic of Fagen’s keyboard in Babylon Sister. It’s hard to describe, but it’s like there’s a slight sound of air being exhaled by it. The other example: the specific timbre of whatever percussive instrument is used at the beginning of Copeland’s "Fanfare for the Common Man" (a recording by the Minnesota Orchestra). There’s more of a metallic sound than a drum skin sound to it that I didn’t know was there before. The metallic sound starts in the center and then projects out and to the sides, like a wave washing over you. Anyway, I’m just thrilled about having stumbled upon the whole "optical" thing and felt obligated to let others know about it. If you stream music over the internet, I highly recommend giving it a try. (The product I got was the opticalRendu, with the linear power supply option, and the Fiber Ethernet Converter Bundle option.)
128x128hiphiphan
Post removed 
@hiphiphan No problem. Adding to my prior post, ethernet is asynchronous so jitter is not an issue.
The approach at Network Acoustics to the noise problem in Ethernet signals is to filter it out passively. In our listening tests, the ENO Filter improves sound quality more than reclocking devices and audiophile switches, as these still emit noise.
This sounds like a sales pitch to me. If you want to use fiber to say your dac, you can get 2 converters from Ethernet to fiber then back to Ethernet with a fiber cable for around $200. The biggest change you will hear is when you get a fiber internet service and ditch your copper cable
The opticalRendu is functionally just a USB to fiber adapter. Similar results can be accomplished with a media converter on one end and an adapter on the other for a lot less money. However, there is one large distinction that sets the Rendu apart--it is Roon ready and can act as an endpoint when streaming over RAAT. A normal cheapie USB to fiber adapter can not do this.
Converting RJ45 ethernet to fiber only to convert back to RJ45 right before the streamer or DAC eliminates some of the benefit. It's no longer a pure fiber connection from media converter to streamer. Is it still better than just running CAT6 UTP from the router or switch? Perhaps, but the appeal of fiber in an audio application is galvanic isolation and immunity to EMI and RFI. A continuous run of fiber offers both.
We don't even need our entire homes' to be wired for fiber. In this application we're not utilizing it for the speed and bandwidth advantages, only the zero noise aspect. We're trying to get zero noise transmission between point A (media converter) and point B (streamer). Anything before point A really doesn't matter.