bits is bits

I replaced the ethernet cable between my streamer and switch with SFP optical fibre. As far as I can discern, it made absolutely zero difference to sound quality.

 

That’s in a highly resolving system. Both the Linn Klimax DSM/3 streamer and Melco S100 switch have SFP ports and I used the often recommended Finisar optical modules. 

 

Other changes I have made in the past like adding the Melco switch and upgrading the streamer have been beneficial, but the SFP optical fibre wasn’t. Others using the same streamer have reported improvement from changing to fibre. Maybe the Melco is already providing sufficient isolation.

@newton_john that’s most likely the case. A person would expect the multi-thousand dollar Melco switch to have a completely noise-free output, and therefore the fiber run downstream of the switch would become redundant in terms of noise reduction and yield no sonic benefit.

In regard to network altering bits, https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=can+network+alter+bits&udm=50&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZ1Y6MJ25_tmWITc7uy4KIeoJTKjrFjVxydQWqI2NcOhZVmrJB8DQUK5IzxA2fZbQF4YL5sNSRJGgx0e9Z9AxExzjE4_ynshmXB4KOs3cwRUeWWsKhEolaqKblYfDXcX8o44lrMqH67kppK0pOExd7q2yJDRQQKlpEBHmw6_MVnVB63-D4QfZ_FNhtd2-sQaouA4jq5w&ved=2ahUKEwiZ6cTNlsiQAxVBnokEHf3VMcMQ0NsOegQIAxAB&aep=10&ntc=1&mstk=AUtExfDDuUPdWFfnGdINKi92dM-0CQQv45KQzyN3TxSAjuzkjTDZj4cKP_6bIpma1AUzx6NavD42tl140w4xi3Sgkid8-P-eSrD5v4x2PcZaclIqGC-OhQgO0V6i3YnUcz_miFgRRBn8eDnB6u25ZN4KfXbSRDu5G-M2odA&csuir=1. 

Now perhaps AI full of it.

Now perhaps AI full of it.

@sns 

Yes.

From a 30 year network engineer, you know, an open-minded one who actually listens to his gear: 

"Sure, network protocols prevent dropped bits, so the music data itself stays complete. But the extra activity inside the streamer can subtly compress the soundstage and reduce the microdynamics that give recordings their sense of space and life."

https://www.headphonesty.com/2025/09/tidal-qobuz-connect-ruining-hifi-sound-engineer/

@mclinnguy That article reiterates what I've heard from reading various white papers over the years. It's the music player player software's interaction with streaming system hardware that's affecting the sound quality. To this end, myself and others have found Roon provides best sound quality with two streamer setups, one for Core, the other, a much simpler device specifically designed as Roon Endpoint. Issue is Roon complex interface requires relatively high processor resources which of course means noise. Going the direction I've gone with custom build Core streamer with more powerful processor means I'm using far less processor resources. I can monitor my processor usage in real time, very rarely see over 1% on any thread, mostly under 1%. 

People are getting confused, believing bits are being manipulated by streaming services when in fact its the interaction between the music player software and their streaming hardware that's causing variable sound quality. 

Per networks altering or affecting bits, so AI which is in fact a collation of  human 'experts' claims this true, some other 'expert' or 'experts' claim otherwise.