I plugged my headphone amp into Ethernet, and streaming finally sounded right

I plugged my headphone amp into Ethernet, and streaming finally sounded right Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf By  Brady Snyder Published Jun 30, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT Brady is a technology journalist for MakeUseOf with years of experience covering all things mobile, computing, and general tech. He has a focus on Android phones and audio gear, and holds a B.S. in Journalism from St. John's University. Brady has written for publications like Android Central, Android Authority, XDA, Android Police, iMore, and others. He has experience reporting on major events held by Google, Apple, and Samsung, as well as trade shows like Lenovo Innovation World and IFA. When he's not writing about and testing the latest gadgets, you'll find Brady watching Big East basketball and running. Sign in to your MakeUseOf account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread 1 Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Streaming music puts millions of songs in our hands at a low monthly cost, but it encourages the use of wireless protocols with serious bottlenecks . When streaming high-resolution lossless music through a Wi-Fi network or cellular connection, speed and bitrate become concerns. Using a Bluetooth connection to connect your streaming device to earbuds, headphones, or speakers means you'll be further limited to the bitrate of the Bluetooth audio codec used. Streaming sounds "bad" when your gear and wireless communication protocols aren't good enough to support the quality of files you want to play. I use Ethernet throughout my home , but I didn't expect it to solve my biggest problem with music streaming. Then, I tried a review unit of the Fiio K15 desktop amplifier. It's frankly too expensive of an amplifier for my budget. That said, the amp's support for Gigabit Ethernet and multiple lossless streaming methods makes it unlike any other DAC or amplifie