Network Switches

@yyzsantabarbara 

I agree, Ubiquiti is wonderful networking gear.  I’ve been using them for several years with great success.  I use the Switch 8 (150watt) a lot for central and local switches.  It works great to POE their standard Switch 8 or to deploy as a local fiber switch with their XG switches.  The UniFi Controller interface is excellent.

Toslink = Optical
Network = Fiber

I should have used the terminology that @allane posted above to be clearer in my explanation.

@grannyring You can use a RJ45 switch which also has optical fiber connection. Take a look at the following product. I will buy this one for $200 and replace my current RJ45 only switch with the RJ45 + Fiber Optical switch.

https://www.ui.com/unifi-switching/unifi-switch-8-150w/

The following url should give a good description of how to get fiber into you audio system. The product listed above fits as the "existing optical Ethernet" in the SystemOptique described below.

https://www.sonore.us/systemoptique.html

If you have a Lumin X1 DAC (expensive) you can connect the Fiber optical cable directly from the Ubiquiti switch. I am not aware of any other DAC that have this fiber input. I think this could be the future for streaming DACs.

The Sonare SystemOptique is used for USB DACs and what I will buy. Most likely the Signature Rendu SE Optical. I currently own the older Sonare microRendu and it has worked flawlessly for over 3 years.

https://www.sonore.us/systemoptique.html

I just looked at the link above again and read about option 4 for Fiber Optical to an audio system.

Currently, in my office, I use my electrically noisy (or busy) computer with a microRendu. I could skip buying the new optical capable network switch mentioned in my above post by doing the following:

4. Sonore opticalModule OEM/DIY - The opticalModule has an SFP fiber optic transceiver and can be installed directly into computer server.

It makes sense that this would be an option if Fiber Optical cable eliminates all electrical noise. It would not matter if the computer is electrically noisy.

BTW - my cheapo DELL audio computer is silent (but internally busy).

Someone, somewhere, at any given time will find a way to play upon your fears, doubts...paranoias at the extremes of  ones' psyche'.

Your computer wouldn't work if the bits 'n bytes weren't 'keeping in line', so to speak.  Your reading this while likely 'multitasking' on the box; consider what's silently going on for you to do this.

Discussions of this vein frequently remind me of the ancient acronym PEBKAC

Problem exists between keyboard and chair.

How about a new one?

EAIEBLE

Esoteric audio issues exist between listener ears

'Fixing them' tends to cost a lot... ;)