I appreciate the responses and think I’m now convinced that if you have a great WiFi you do not need Ethernet. I never had issues. I think I’m sure my WiFi does
lose any sound quality. It’s High speed and 25 feet away.
thank you
Ethernet vs. Wi-Fi streaming
My question is simple…
If you have a very strong WiFi signal to your streamer and there are no signs of buffering are you giving up any sound quality?
I have a BluSound streamer to my Gustard DAC and stream Qobuz/Tidal 90% of time with no issues. Would a hard lined Ethernet do anything to improve sound quality? Hope my question is of value and makes sense.
@bobbyloans Given you are using a Bluesound node, I would say that you are correct that should not worry about it. While the Node is an incredible value for the price and I have owned multiple in the past, its built-in streamer does not produce the fidelity of dedicated higher-end streamers, and as such there’s no real sonic benefit of using wifi over ethernet or vice versa unless you are experiencing interference with one or the other. |
I can add another voice to this. IME, strong WiFi, if reliable, is a good platform for streaming. In fact, I even stream Qobuz through WiFi at the gym. It’s not perfect, but it’s rare there is an interruption. At home, using an Auralic Aries G1 streamer, I’ve compared WiFi and Ethernet and found no difference in sound quality, no difference in reliability. |
I use a wifi extender next to each of my system and connect via Ethernet cable to my streamer. I have outstanding sound in this way. See my system under my user ID.
I had did not have the solid connection or fidelity when I used to own an Aurlic Aries G2… but my two Aurender streamers work incredibly well this way. I know quite a few folks with +$100K or $200K systems that operate this way with outstanding results. I cannot say I layer in Ethernet cable and compared. On the other hand I have the best system (for my tastes) I have heard. Could it be better? Of course… would dedicated Ethernet improve it? I cannot say no. |