I've been digging into this a little more and came across this article:
https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/how-to-optimize-digital-streaming-with...While optical certainly is superior to ethernet cable and the implementation as shown fairly straightforward, the cost is another matter when taking into consideration the cost of the necessary components if one goes top tier.
If I were to implement what is outlined in the Absolute Sound article I would go for the Sonore Optical Module & Uptone Audio LPS 1.2 or the Keces P3.
If only one of each of these was needed then $1,000.00+ is the cost. If more than one is needed then the cost goes up. The optical cable is the only component that results in a cost reduction. This is not necessarily a deal breaker.
What could become a deal breaker is having to mess with putting it all together. For a long time I've been messing with "tweaking" audio to get to where I am and now I do not want to repeat the process as I go to digital unless I absolutely have to.
Convenience and functionality is now becoming more of a consideration than it ever was before. When deciding on a DAC I was struck by how many multi role units there are on the market - streamer/DAC/Preamp. I did end up going in a direction that is more involved and inconvenient because of cost and my confidence level in the performance of such components, unless I were to budget well in excess of $10K. But this will likely be the last time that I will do it.
In comparison to the set of the top system as outlined in the Absolute Sound article the Network Acoustics Muon is, for me, a far more convenient solution and comparatively speaking, taking all components into consideration, not that much more money. Basically, plug and play.
With one caveat, IF it works as well as is reported. Nothing stands still. I believe that over the past ten years research has produced alternatives. As I do not have an optical set up I will not be able to do a direct comparison but I will be able to compare it to my current set up.
I have ordered the Muon System. If it does not work as reported it goes back and an optical set up is next. I'll post the results after I get it and spend some time with it.