Connecting a streamer via an Ethernet cable

@ghosthouse

‘I'm interested in your experience but having trouble understanding that last sentence.  Perhaps a typo?  Would you mind explaining further??THANKS.“

Sorry for not being clear. Every time either I thought something (like a digital cable) or that the sound could not be improved I have been very wrong. So, I am very reluctant to say a cable will not matter... it always has.

Hmmm, after reading the comments, I bet the results are very highly dependent on the streamer. Some folks comment on drop outs. While I have trouble with wifi on my iPad at the same location, my streamer never has drop outs... but I have one of the best on the market. I remember long ago using my Mac laptop where dropouts were a problem. So, I am thinking the answer is like every other aspect of this pursuit... “It depends” and how much difference is highly variable. But I would imagine the higher quality the streamer the less it matters. As I mentioned earlier, I can’t tell the difference between a red book CD stored on my steamer and and incoming red book version from Qubuz.

My perspective is from 35 years in IT. In the early days of WiFi it was hit and miss, and wired = reliable. WiFi has evolved considerably and if one invests in the latest tech, previous issues like dropouts and latency should be a non issue.

If wired is "easy" go for it, but in most scenarios WiFi should suffice. If the tech is on point there will be no audible difference but if you have the funds to hardwire everything, go for it.  Please let us know how you progress with all your mobile devices. 

Lots of depends in the way to the answer. Short answer is hard connection is always better, but if your streamer is enter level you will not hear any difference. 

When I was using WiFi, I had a lot of problems with the BluOS app losing connection to the streamer in my main system.  (I'm sure this was a Wi-Fi problem.)  Since I hard-wired, I have had no connection problems.  In my room with my second system, the WiFi isn't great so hard-wiring has made a world of difference.