Repeater/extenders are evil!


As highly recommended by dCS, I had the Xfinity tech move the router/modem to near the DAC and Streamer. All he had to do was run the coax line around the outside of the house and connect it to an existing cable coax that was already there in the wall. It took about an hour and only cost me $70 for the service call.

Guess if you have no existing wall port, it would be fairly simple to drill and create one. Maybe in that case there would be a bit more cost.

But go for it!

For decades, I was a die hard analog guy. Previously, I only used my DAC for TV. Music was way digital sounding. Edgy, hard, disturbing. No more. 
It still does not sound more organic than analog, but I now find myself enjoying streaming and not listening much to my TT. I am finally enjoying the benefits of digital. Even though not perfect, the soul of the artists shine through.

If you are connecting by using an extender, get rid of it and hard wire directly to your modem/router.

mglik

That’s interesting.  I’ve often read running hardwired from an extender sounds better than using Wi-Fi, but this is the first comparison I recall between using an extender and going direct from the router.  Definitely food for thought, and thanks a lot for sharing your experience.  And congrats on rediscovering digital!

It is interesting the improvement you experienced. Congratulations. I think it depends on the streamer, system, and the difficulty in wiring. I guess you’ll find out more when you get your new streamer.

They are not at all evil... but getting Wifi working well from point A to point B is sometimes a challenge. I always recommend the use of a free Wifi analyzer to make sure your router is on uncongested channels and your signal strength is good.

Of course, I also hard wire my critical gear like my work PC and TV and stereo to avoid any such issues, but not everyone can.