Ethernet

@audphile1 This is music to my ears. I have no stutters, no pauses, no connections issues to speak of. So why am I spending money on this? Audiophilus nervous I suppose!!! I appreciate you talking me down my friend! I think I will just hook up this ethernet cable I ordered and have a listen! I still have yet to receive the Iris, which arrives on Friday. Then I will be testing all the cables I have for the USB to the Iris and the HDMI to the Pontus 2.

You’re good to go. Hook up cable to eero and test it. See if you can tell the difference between it and wifi. 
Both a better streamer and better dac will make a difference. Node is entry level. Don’t expect miracles. 

@maprik 

That Ethernet patch cable looks good. Fully shielded as well. We used shielded exclusively in the data centres, POP and TX's at Motorola, Orange etc. Less chance of dropped packets. Compared to Wi-Fi it's a fit and forget type setup. No need to worry about who's hogging all the bandwidth on the Wi-Fi. Hope this helps.

@audphile1 I guess I still don't understand the concept behind how data is sent to the DDC and why a budget streamer like the node would "sound" worse than an expensive streamer that is sending the same data. I get that DDCs can be important in their quality and DACs of course, but it seems to me that a budget streamer is sending the same data to the DDC as an expensive one. Unless there is data loss or some kind of corruption in the budget streamer? 

@maprik - there’s a German DIY website at ethernet.sound.com run by Eric who has done comprehensive testing on source components way upstream and made a wonderful discovery which should be shared and is currently spreading quick on the internet. The original posts begin here - you’ll have to translate from the German.

 https://ethernet-sound.com/tp-link-tl-wr902ac-im-akku-modus-100ige-isolierung/

It’s all about WiFi performing at a higher level than hardwired LAN, through the use of a super low power super cheap Tplink pocket travel router and the benefit that WiFi brings through the creation of an isolating air gap between the noise-filled upstream components of modem and home router. The vital thing is the use of a power bank or battery supply to power the tplink, so as not to reintroduce electrical noise into the isolated circuit. In any case, it’s been picked up by the US DIY community, and keithc at WBF has started a thread on how to configure a basic set up for the use of the tplink in client mode - check it out ; ) -

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/review-the-best-yet-most-affordable-network-switch-tplink-wr902ac.41708/

just to ally any fears of a big spend, the baseline upgrade of just tplink wr902 and accompanying power bank is about the greatest value to dollar delta around - I spent the equivalent of less than USD75 on the pocket router and romoss pea40 pro power bank, and it’s raised the sound realism of my already very high performing system by a good margin. Reports vary depending on how well one has already sorted/isolated their upstream noise, but regardless of where anyone is in their system build, everyone who has tried this WiFi fix has found conclusive improvement. 
Keep in mind the quality of USB A to micro cable between power bank and pocket router matters, and don’t forget to take the power bank off the power outlet when listening to what should be a big difference. Enjoy!

In friendship - kevin