Wifi vs ethernet revisited

@sns would a Ubiquiti Dream Router be a good recommendation for a main router in your setup, or would you suggest something else. I guess there must be something simpler as I don't need the main router to have wifi. Thanks so much.

please correct me if I misunderstood, but after each ethernet run to each of my two audio systems (one of them is over 40'), I have a short fiber-optic "moat" which gets reconverted to ethernet via etherregens before they enter the audio system; already noted in my original post. Would that not suffice against surges? (And point taken on the iFi.)

Sorry, yes it would! :)  Though worth noting that once a surge is in a wire (coax or Ethernet) it can go through connected devices to the AC.  That is, your fiber adapter itself can be a surge path via the AC.  So if you use this, make sure the power supply for the Ethernet --> Fiber converter is outside your surge protector, and your Fiber --> Ethernet (if any) is on the INSIDE of your surge protector.   Still, this is the approach I use to air gap between my incoming cable modem and Wifi router.  A 1m air gap with a good surge protector for the AC wall warts.    I also use a gas discharge coaxial surge protector OUTSIDE my home. 

I use Netgear XR1000, I went with this for speed, 1GB cable service, provider servers very close to me so very fast ping times. I'm familiar with Netgear software reason I went with them, just look for speed, you want low latency with entire network, optimize speed and isolation and you're gold.

Thanks @sns   not to be nit picky but why the wireless? I (and probably you) would disable that anyway because of a separate mesh system. What about the MikroTik hES X instead? Ignore if this is getting too detailed. 

You need IP address for the daisy chained router being used for whole house wifi, switch doesn't provide this. Only managed switch can assign IP addresses.