Its really just about offensive odor in all but the most extreme case's..........in those situations a heavy film of residue can build up and be even more offensive and difficult to clean. As far as actual damage thats harer to pin down and many sellers use the term simply because it has become a mark of care and quality, many audiophiles have pets and kids with no evidence or damage to that affect left behind but they always list no kids or pets. I have actually been on phone with a seller who put me on hold to let his dog in, another's cat clawed him causing him to let me know his pain and yet anothers dog went crazy when door bell rang, yet all these guys listed no pets.
The tar and nicotine in the smoke will gum up you speakers making them sound slow and sluggish sounding.
Also your speakers can get cancer and tumors can grow right out of the woofers from the second hand smoke.
Now if you are talking about Pot smoke well that's a different story. You're speakers will get addicted to the smoke and want more. If you don't give it the "smoke" it will not sing right till you do. Keep this up and your speakers will want a stronger smoke and now you have a real problem on your hand.
Best to smoke outside or just give the nasty s--t up.
Depends on the kind of smoke you're talking about, but it can either make your speakers sound like they are firing straight into your brain and especially with multi-channel music, make your feel like you are getting the most insane head massage, or they can make you feel like you want to stab yourself in the heart or into the woofer or jump out your window.
I was always told cigarette smoke deteriorates the surronds on old speakers. This is referring to the surrounds that were like foam as opposed to the modern surrounds that are rubber. Don't know if this is true or not.
Even though I'm not a smoker, I've found that cigarette smoke makes my speakers sound sort of dry & harsh, while cigar smoke makes them sound somewhat coarse, but in an interesting, earthy way. The best smoke, smoke that SERIUOSLY improves both PRAT and Air, is from glowing jasmine-patchouli incense sticks held up by a burned-in shatki-stone holder. The stone needs to have a green-marker stripe on it at 45 degrees to the sticks while the stone itself sits on a large block of unfinished rock-maple that's spiked into the floor. The incense sticks themselves must be of hand-hewn myrtlewood and seasoned for at least three days in the urine of a in-season booroola-marino ewe...though I've heard that yak-urine also works.
lets now forget that almost everything in a room where people smoke cigarettes will start to reek. Ever been in a hotel room where smoking is allowed. The bedding, curtains and everything else in the room are filled with the smell of stale smoke. I can see the grill cloth of a speaker in such a room having a smell to them that you would then bring into your home if you bought them.
02-26-09: Rja Cigarette smoke makes your speakers stink dude!!!
You got that right. Even more so for electronics. It's amazing - I can usually perdict the chances of the previous owner getting lung cancer by simply opening the box when the used gear is shipped to me.
I found an old Marantz 1060 amp at Goodwill which I purchased for next to nothing. The owner must have been a chain smoker since the exterior was all gunked up and yellowed. After it was energized and warmed up, you could smell the nicotine. It is now sitting out in the barn.
I suppose, if the speakers are really nice, you could consider it a "patina" as they say on Antiques Roadshow :^) Do NOT refinish, it will ruin the "value"!
I used to service a lot of loudspeakers in the old days. You could always tell if the speaker was owned by a smoker- of course they would smell, but the suspensions of the drivers would usually be rotted long before their time.
The same is true of the rubber parts in turntables and tape machines!
When they cough it really hurts my ears; not to mention the raspy growls of the upper mid-bass and the wrinkles on the finish is really aesthetically gruesome. But the worst part is the irritating whine from the tweeters when they are smoke-deprived....drives a man crazy.
Hey Bill, you gonna sell those new technology speakers that are supposed to have great bass? I hear they call them "Newport" speakers..............OUCH!
Good to hear from"Joe Walsh" as a reference. I remember a line from a comedian saying the day was way to nice and clear; as in "I need To See The Air I'm Breathing".
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