There's a decent amount of WiFi 6 routers/APs supported by OpenWrt, but not really 6e: https://openwrt.org/toh/views/toh_available_16128_ax-wifi
vividspecter
I have the Flint 2. I'm only using it as a dumb AP and managed switch but the wireless performance has been a significant step up over previous APs and routers I've owned, even if it doesn't support 6E. And it comes with a couple of 2.5GbE ports so you can integrate it with a 2.5GbE LAN and use with a 2.5GbE+ internet connection (not that it's very common yet).
To OP: the firmware is in its early days (both stock and snapshot openwrt) so you may run into problems with some use cases.
I don't bother with "mesh" type setups specifically, but yeah, router/switch in one device (usually with one or more additional switches for more ports and/or newer wired standards) and APs in separate devices with ethernet backhaul.
These APs could still be all-in-one routers if they have good wifi hardware/drivers and have OpenWrt support, but they are treated as dumb APs that could be swapped in/out if problems occur.
Oh is abortion not banned in Austin but only the rest of the state? That's a relief.
Opus is the way these days. Pretty much transparent even at 128kbps (arguably with even lower bitrates in most cases).
I'd somewhat call myself an audiophile, just one that cares about actual measurements and audibility, and not snake oil. Haven't heard a good term for that yet, though.
Audiophiles also tend to care about some some sort of audio purity, but I'm willing to go wild with EQ, room correction, and impulse responses, which is pretty much the opposite of purity.
I’ve never been able to reliably tell a difference between FLAC and 320k MP3 files
I just keep FLAC around so I can transcode them to new lossy formats as they improve. And so I can transcode aggressively for my mobile when I'm streaming from home, and don't need full transparency.
These have an actual perceivable difference even if subtle. Hires audio, however, is inaudible by humans.
Looks like it would eat power in a 24/7 setup but might be useful as an alternative to multiple systems.
Have a read/watch of this other asshole CEO going on an unhinged rant about return to office earlier last year.
On the cable point, the more interesting network advancement is 2.5GbE finally becoming wildly available, with switches, USB dongles, pci-e cards, and routers finally using them, and for prices that are only marginally more expensive then gigabit. And cheap enough that even used SFP+ gear looks expensive enough to not be worth the hassle, particularly as they can eat power in various ways.
Buy Zigbee in cases where there isn't a Matter alternative. It's not quite as interoperable as Matter but it's fully offline once setup (and some newer coordinators have dual zigbee/Matter support). Avoid cloud connected WiFi devices like the plague.