Is Smoking Really That Bad For Audio Equipment?

I can't answer that question from a strictly audio point of view, but I can tell you that I used to have a PC repair business and serviced some computers at smokers' homes. It was disgusting. At times I took PCs outside in the middle of winter just so the smell didn't nauseate me.

The most common problem I found in smokers' computers was malfunctioning RAM and CPUs - two of the most sensitive pieces in a computer. While the smoke particles didn't actually affect the parts themselves (at least not enough to cause serious errors), it fell into the mounting slots and reduced the connection. After I opened up and cleaned the innards of the PC it ran better. Audio equipment has similar characteristics of electronic boards and cables being mounted into other boards.

I wouldn't worry about the audio equipment though. What about your health?

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

Cigarette smoke penetrates into everything .. 

This is poison for you and your Hi Fi.If you still smoke WAKE UP!!