Surge protectors do not guard against voltage sags, they absorb the punch of a voltage spike.
Do the lights dim? Not just a tiny bit, but a lot. If that is the case, then have the electrician to check -- in addition to the HVAC contractor's work -- the wiring to your dedicated outlet and the rest of the house. If you have aluminum wires from the meter to the main panel lugs, have him check those. It's not uncommon for the lugs to loosen over time causing oxidation at the contacts and making voltage sags more serious than they have to be.
AC units draw a lot of current on startup and it's not uncommon (or abnormal) for the lights to dim a tiny bit. The power supply of your pc and dac easily compensate under this condition. But if the voltage drops too low, it confuses the voltage regulators in your electronics and things can stop working.
Do the lights dim? Not just a tiny bit, but a lot. If that is the case, then have the electrician to check -- in addition to the HVAC contractor's work -- the wiring to your dedicated outlet and the rest of the house. If you have aluminum wires from the meter to the main panel lugs, have him check those. It's not uncommon for the lugs to loosen over time causing oxidation at the contacts and making voltage sags more serious than they have to be.
AC units draw a lot of current on startup and it's not uncommon (or abnormal) for the lights to dim a tiny bit. The power supply of your pc and dac easily compensate under this condition. But if the voltage drops too low, it confuses the voltage regulators in your electronics and things can stop working.