What a pity about the smoke. However, I have noticed that when I smoke the Padron 50 Year Family Reserve, the system sounds better. I definitely get warmer mids. Also, during the winter months my dog likes to camp between my two Ypsilon Electronics Hyperion amplifiers. The other issue is that when I was building my listening room, I assumed I needed no heating during the winter months. Thank God, not all is bad. I ensure that special Japanese and Scottish malts are kept at least 10 ft away from the system. After reading all the above, it seems that is time to sell the system. Maybe the house too?
Should we care if a piece of equipment comes from a pet-free, kid-free, smoke-free home?
I agree that I do not want a preamp or speaker coated with a film of smoke, but I am confused as to what a child or pet could do that would not be otherwise visible. You would see the cat scratches on the speaker grill, the dog chew marks on the rack, the iguana turds in the amplifier cooling vents. And what's a little dog hair among friends? As a 3 year old, I supposedly put my finger through my grandfather's new DIY speaker but I'm pretty sure he replaced the drivers so even that doesn't really matter. Most things will be visible and/or easily remedied. Maybe the price will even be a little lower because of the cosmetics. If it doesn't mess with function, not a big deal to me.
What concerns me more is does it come from a drunk-free, drug-free home. I think befuddled owners are far more worrisome than pets or children.