Is Smoking Really That Bad For Audio Equipment?

Short answer yes, it may take quite awhile for it to do its dirt so to speak however. Smoke, dust etc all will have it's negative effect on various types of gear over the course of time. Moreover,it just stinks ,at least if you are a non smoker. For the non smoker bringing smoked up gear into your system is hard to live with.

I purchased a pair of Audio Research Reference 300 Mono amps used form a dealer. I knew the dealer and the previous owner very well so I felt OK about the used purchase. After about 3 weeks of enjoyment I went to turn on one of the Mono amps and BOOM it sparked, smoked and scared the daylights out of me.

I sent them back to Audio Research for repair and they told me there was so much tar and nicotine on the boards that because I leave near the ocean and on a damp day, which it was, that residue on the boards was conductive and shorted out the Amp. He said he would try to clean up the amp but could not be sure of the success.

The previous was very good with his gear, a real audiophile. However he smoked alot of cigars when he listened to music and watched TV and his wife smoked cigaretts. It was a true smoking household.

I will be careful in the future when buying gear in regards to smoke.

PS I decided to upgrade the amps to MK II which gave new insides so I would avoid future problems.

I purchased a pair of Audio Research Reference 300 Mono amps used form a dealer. I knew the dealer and the previous owner very well so I felt OK about the used purchase. After about 3 weeks of enjoyment I went to turn on one of the Mono amps and BOOM it sparked, smoked and scared the daylights out of me.

I sent them back to Audio Research for repair and they told me there was so much tar and nicotine on the boards that because I leave near the ocean and on a damp day, which it was, that residue on the boards was conductive and shorted out the Amp. He said he would try to clean up the amp but could not be sure of the success.

The previous owner was very good with his gear, a real audiophile. However he smoked alot of cigars when he listened to music and watched TV and his wife smoked cigaretts. It was a true smoking household.

I will be careful in the future when buying gear in regards to smoke.

PS I decided to upgrade the amps to MK II which gave new insides so I would avoid future problems.

TM bong?

I went bowling tonight and saw a sign in the bowling alley that starting Monday cigarette smoking is banned in all indoor public settings in Chicago. So, I think that smoking will continue to decline as smokers have less opportunities to engage their habit. At my office, the smoking area is outside and tucked out of sight from the street and away from the occupants going into and out of the building. I heard a rumor that soon smokers will not be allowed within 50 feet of a public building. The tax on cigarettes here is several dollars so that a pack costs $7.00. Think of all the audio equipment they could buy if they quit that habit.