Is surge protection needed?

I recently initiated a thread on wall receptacles. Once the receptacle is chosen is there a need for surge protection. Many audiophiles have spent huge $$ on systems. I live in upstate N.Y. where in the spring we can get some serious lightning storms. If one is needed would it degrade the sound and defeat the purpose of spending money on the receptacle. Might sound like a crazy question, but I've seen transformers get hit with lightning around here. Maybe the answer is to keep on plugging and unplugging? Any insight?