2. misc-audio
  3. 1137167553

Is Smoking Really That Bad For Audio Equipment?

I have my friends over periodically, and some of them smoke. At the moment, I ask them to go outside to have a cigarette because I'm concerned that smoke will be bad for stereo equipment. I don't worry much about the smell because I have hardwood floors and minimal furniture, so there's not much to trap the smell. Does cigarette smoke damage speakers or does it get into audio equipment and leave residue on electrical connections, etc? I am curious whether there have been any incidents where cigarette smoke actually harmed someone's equipment?
firecracker_77

Showing 1 response by donbellphd

donbellphd
205 posts
 
It's been many years since I was involved with this area as a science, but IIRC, nicotine is bad for that most important piece of audio equipment, the chochlea, aka inner ear, that piece of equipment that transduces the fluid dynamic movement of the hair cells into a synapse eventually perceived as sound.

There is debate about whether we are monaurally phase sensitive, but we are demonstratively binaurally phase sensitive, so you want to keep hearing in both ears intact.

db
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