are NET Switches worth considering?

Hello @fire_water ,

@ddgtt  but the " self-proclaimed experts" will tell you otherwise. 

in response to @ddgtt  saying

A good audiophile grade ethernet switch makes a significant and important difference. 

I don't think so.  'self proclaimed experts' or actually many with true experiences with less expensive switches will state that what they have is fine, and that you do not need a more expensive switch, and that (without hearing one) they are not an improvement over what they have.

I and many have journeyed through lesser switches and can state without hesitation that a quality audiophile switch like the GTT DeJitterit, Network Acoustics Tempus, or Telegartner (JCAT M12) make a huge difference at a certain level.  And the power supply (included with the first two switches, and recommended for the third, make an equally stunning improvement.  No one has to believe this, but I do.  Now are there newer value switches that sound as good?  Possibly, but not the aforementioned English Electric, Bonn 8, etherRegen and others.  This is based on my trying them, hoping to not spend more, and then trying a better one and clearly hearing the difference.  Now the Phoenix Net?  I have not heard it.  I see the attraction being matchy to your streamer.  But I have not read here that it compares favorably to the three I mentioned.  Please no stone throwing from network engineers...only reporting my findings and what I hear.

OP - seems like the best choice is to try a used PhoenixNet for yourself then sell if dissatisfied. 

@fire_water 

Of course the PhoenixNet is an excellent option.  I have not heard it but I have seen good reviews and Innuos is I believe a solid company with excellent products.

if you use one of the 2 options I mentioned in my previous post, there’s no need to replace your switch with a nearly $5000 piece of equipment, which seems excessive to me.  The first option would literally cost you less than $100.

I doubt that changes upstream of your streamer will affect SQ.

Your streamer appears to be async USB output only, a good thing, so your DAC is doing all of the buffering and clocking.

The data being processed by your streamer is correct, the TCP connection from your switch has error correction.  The streamer then converts the (probably) compressed FLAC to the true PCM data which is then sent, serially, to the DAC, on request.

The  Bravo SA9227 USB receiver in the DAC converts the serial bit stream to the actual PCM data which is buffered and sent to the DAC chips (8 in parallel!) for conversion, based on the clock in the DAC with zero dependence on timing issues of the input stream.

The only issue then is noise, and looking at reviews your DAC gets good marks for very low noise - I think I saw 119dB down.