I live in Chicago and have the lesser of the evils syndrome as well. I use a newcastle conditioner and the noise it reduces is nicer to listen to than the garbage on the line. My system is about 25K retail, so I do not think I am at a Mid-FI level. I mainly use the conditioner in case of spikes and browns. In the spring and the fall I do plug directly in the wall between midnight and 4am to realize what my system can do -- and it does some things better on the conditioner and others better on the wall outlet. Trade-offs galore...
AC Conditioners?
Interested in a used AC Conditioner but don't know much about them. Can anyone tell me if they lose functionality as they get older? Do they where out? Do they not filter as well after protecting from some kind of surge? What are the considerations and what questions should you ask? Appreciate any info anyone can provide....