Wifi vs hardwired for streaming

I think a streamer should give the owner both options and attempt to optimize both.  My Melco N 100 doesn’t do WiFi , and is it Aurender that offers both but recommends that the listener do WiFi?  That never made sense to me as WiFi should at best equal Ethernet, but I am sure that they have their reasons 

@vicweast Great post. A very clear explanation of the issue with noise and digital networks. The bits all make it intact, but the induced noise is the problem that comes with it.

@zlone why thank you.

@nigeltheflash said: "Re audio grade network switches not being "needed"; it really depends on what is incorporated into the design of a switch which makes it "audio grade". If it is primarily about ensuring the switch puts out less noise alongisde the output signal than it received alongside the input signal then it deserves the badge."

I wrote my post because:

1) by design, internet protocols used in transferring digital data manage both detect and remedy any change to the transmitted bits --- translation: the data is guaranteed to be the data

2) audiophiles are demonstrably in denial of that reality

3) audiophiles really only need to worry about these two things:

3A) providing a "decent" connection where the throughput and reliability of the connection is above the need posed by the streamer (etc).  ANY DECENT CONSUMER GRADE NETWORK GEAR COMBINED WITH EITHER WIRED OR OPTICAL OR WIFI DOES EXACTLY THAT.  You can test for that by interrogating your router for errors and retransmits, If the numbers are low then you are good on this point.

3B introducing any noise or electrical interference into the first audio device connected to your network. Translation: YOU ONLY NEED BE CONCERNED WITH STRIPPING SUCH AT THE POINT OF ENTRY INTO THE FIRST AUDIO DEVICE. End of story, you are done.

Beyond that: WIFI has issues, largely with frequency congestion (you can test for that by interrogating your wifi router) -and structural "barriers" that attenuate the radio signal -and- wifi near an audio device introduces NEW noise by EMI. Those are probably the only concerns with wifi, but the benefit is that wifi completely STRIPS THE ACCUMULATED NOISE TO THE POINT OF THE RADIO WAVES HITTING THE AIR TO YOUR RECEIVER AT THE LAST LEG.

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So, NONE of the network upgrades sold to audiophiles -the audio grade routers/switches blah blah expensive cables blah blah matter one tiny "bit". TRANSLATION: MONEY SPENT FOR MINIMAL (if any) GAIN. 

FOCUS ON THE LAST PIECE OF CONNECTION THAT ENTERS THE FIRST ACTUAL "AUDIOGRADE" AUDIO DEVICE. 
 

Thus: put in a media converter at the last leg if you are using WIRED as it STRIPS all the noise to THAT point. (The converters are the next new challenge, but you are now 90 some odd percent to the goal -- and CLOSER than using silly "audio grade" network components, they are not helping at the end point, at least not in a cost effective manner.

So, NONE of the network upgrades sold to audiophiles -the audio grade routers/switches blah blah expensive cables blah blah matter one tiny "bit".

But I will disagree, as some of those audiophile network devices clean up the noise just before that first audio device, and better than the audio device can do itself. I personally have used the Stack Smoothlan and now the Regenerator before my Antipodes server, there is no doubt that it is an improvement.

So some of the audiophile network gear is a waste, but some can be effective, in the right place.