Due to “ethernet via optical fibre” there will be no difference in SQ. Potential noise can’t travel over optical glass fibre.
Happy new year - alles Gute für das Neue Jahr
Torben
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Yep. Should be common sense. Not sure about the reactions here though
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I fail to see how the power supply is in the signal path of any audio component, or why power amplifiers are any different than other components.
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The source signal is used to modulate the DC that is created by the PS. It’s how amplification works
Isn’t that how amplification works in a preamp also? And, if the component has an internal voltage regulator, can we still say the DC comes directly from the PSU?
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Sure, in a pre too and as a streamer has analog amplification parts (edit: if there is a DAC and analog outs), then there as well. I didn’t want to go into too much detail, the point was that the role of a PS in analog amplification has nothing in common with a computer PS.
I guess it becomes blurry at some point in certain amp designs like you say, but if the source signal in an amplification circuit demands, say, a certain slew rate in the modulated high-power signal, an ideal amp PS can deliver an undistorted high-power version of the source signal under all circumstances, and failing to do so has direct effects on the output signal. It’s why amps have fast capacitors and power amps have big ones.
In any case a completely different thing to computers, and hence an argument based on a powerful, fast, clean power supply being important in amps cannot be naively extended to a Nucleus. (Edit: because the digital representation of analog aspects like higher volume, fast changes, etc. does not affect the computer PS demands)
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The reasoning behind this would also applied for router and switch?
Torben
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A switch and a router are also computers, just with a dedicated purpose.
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Seems like folks only want to talk about data integrity, its a straw man argument. Nobody is arguing that using a SMPS is going to cause data errors vs a linear PS. What about noise from SMPS making it way back into the other components (preamp, amp, DAC etc) of your audio system via ground?
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When dealing with computer-based audio sources, there are certain conditions which can cause noise to be transmitted over the outputs - even with digital connections like S/PDIF, USB, or HDMI.
I’ve seen situations where you could hear noise that was correlated with mouse movements, CPU/GPU load, or even the brightness of what was being displayed on-screen. I could resize a window and change the frequency of the noise that was heard over the speakers/headphones.
In nearly all cases, the cause is a poorly designed component (often a bad USB implementation) or a ground loop.
If you start swapping out PC components, disabling power saving features or reducing CPU clocks, swapping out the mouse for another one or changing its polling rate etc, all of these things could make an audible improvement to this noise.
But that approach is attacking the symptoms, not the cause.
The real solution is to make changes to either avoid the ground loop, or ‘bypass’ it altogether by using balanced interconnects, toslink cables for isolation, or network streaming devices instead of connecting directly to the PC.
If swapping out a power supply makes an audible change in your setup, it’s a sign you have bigger problems that should be dealt with.
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Here is your straw. There is an actual SMPS stage in the NUC you feed either with an external LPS or SMPS. How to deal with that?
And you don’t think adding even more SMPS might not be a good idea? 
How about the ability of a linear PS/transformer to act as a de facto low pass filter to prevent the NUC internal SMPS from sending nasties back through the AC lines?
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HDPLEX for my Nucleus +
Also LPS for my switch and streamer.
The latter two make a huge difference.
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I would have totally agreed with this statement until I had an issue with nasty noise on my high-resolving speaker connected to my Marantz AVR. I spent 10+ hours trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. It was the PSU of my Nuc that was sending noise down the HDMI cable. Once I disconnected the cable, the noise was gone. The moral of the story is that it is possible to introduce noise via the digital cable that is not properly shielded. A poor or badly-designed PSU can also be a source of noise in any system. Would I spend hundreds of $$$ on a new PSU or line conditioner? No. But, I learned hard way that keeping out any potential source of noise from your system is a good ‘audiophile’ practice.
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Your are absolutely right 
Torben
If you are swapping out components or adding fancy countermeasures to reduce the impact of a $2 PSU then you are taking things to the point of obsession. Any change needs to be assessed and it may potentially be better to get a better PSU than replace something like a vintage amplifier or tuner that might be impacted by the sort of noise they were never designed to deal with. It isn’t black or white and there are definitely circumstances where a PSU may be the appropriate way to deal with the issue.
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A record player that has many problems in the reproduction of music is not an issue.
But the influence of a powersupply in a computer that is not part of the audiochain keeps people at boilingpoint.
Strange how the audiophile mind works
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Before hyperventilating about digital transport issues, they’ve probably sunk a truckload of cash into modifying and upgrading their treasured decks, arms, pick-ups, step-ups and pre-amps…
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The folks who agonize over power supplies, cables, and the like are not the types to have TTs, or tube equipment.
Rather than some clinical representation of sound, I prefer music that is round, warm and luscious. The same things I admire in a woman.
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I’ve got a $30k tube setup and have been enjoying the Plixir Elite BDC for my Lumin D2.
Assumptions are dangerous.