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City dweller power cable & conditioner questions

I have a simple set up with a Unico integrated, turntable, and (soon) Squeezebox. I'd like to change the stock power cable for the Unico, but I'm not sure what the best way to do it would be. The units are about 10ft away from the nearest outlet, and right now I'm just plugging everything into a regular old surge suppressor--which buzzes annoyingly. I also get occasional interference from what sound like taxi cab radios (or could that be coming through the unshielded speaker wire?). I live in an apartment in NYC. I've read conflicting things about plugging the amp directly into the outlet vs. using a conditioner. What would you advise? Is it worthwile or necessary to "condition" city power? My budget is only about $300.
nacnud

Showing 2 responses by rar1

rar1's avatar
rar1
1,745 posts
 
I live in NYC, as well and I am doing very well with these surge protectors from Belkin . Each of my systems has a dedicated one of these protectors. They are available in Staples and CompUSA.

Regards, Rich
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,745 posts
 
I am not looking to start a which product is better argument, but the surge protectors from Belkin merit a second look. They take care of very nicely a common NYC apartment problem ... not enough separate lines, let alone separate wall sockets. All too often, a one bedroom apartment will only have 2 or at most 3 separate lines and the lines for the kitchen and living room are one and the same. This is very common in the boroughs and older pre-war buildings.

In my case, I had the stereo on and my wife turned on the clothes steamer and the line would get noisy and at times dropped. Who knew the second bedroom and kitchen were on the same line? The Belkins, specifically the ones with the on board resistors wired at the on/off switch, really did the trick. Additionally, they are quiet as well.

I agree to avoid the "Brand X" surge protectors, but the gold series Belkins are in a different league.

Regards, Rich
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