@gmercer - your observations about the
"audiophile" Ethernet
switch highlights my issue with "audiophile" tweaks in general....
the
high'ish prices often seem more aligned with the hype than the actual benefit resulting from products that most non-audiophiles would view as rather ordinary.
I recently stumbled on the Audio Science Review
website where they measure and review a variety of audio gear. In the case of two "audiophile" Ethernet switches they reviewed, they did not find any measured or discernable sonic differences between those two "audiophile" switches and the Netgear smart Gigabit switch they had on hand. One of the "audiophile" switches became so hot the author "started to smell what resembled like overheating electronics" and measured a case temperature of over 100 degrees F!