static electricity

I don't know about tubes, but it is possible (although I don't know how likely) for damage to solid state gear. If you can, it is best to always use a remote control, avoiding the possibility completely.

Richard

An easy way to get rid of static: Spray your carpet with a mix of half fabric softener and half water, using an empty Windex bottle or something similar. It gets rid of the static for an entire winter. Be sure to choose fragrance-free softener, or your listening room will have an overwhelming smell of roses/lavender/'ocean mist'!

To answer your question, yes, gear can be damaged by static electricity. This is especially true of digital based gear and / or gear that uses multiple integrated circuits.

In order to minimize the potential for damage, run a wire from the screw on your outlet cover to something located near your rack. Prior to touching any components, touch this piece of metal. This will allow you to discharge any static electricity that you may have picked up along the way without harming the gear. Sean
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Just touch the metal of one of your components that doesn't send a large crack sound through your speakers first. Then touch the pre. My ARC pre will sometimes freak out to static discharge. A reset fixes everything in this rare situation. However now I touch the metal on my amp prior to touching the pre just to be safe.

You need a whole house humidifier in your home (for use during the winter months). Relative humidity falls dramatically during the winter, and because of this your house is very dry inside. Hence the sparks.

At an optimum, your home's interior humidity level should be around 40-50%. This will alleviate your problem all together, and concurrenty yield the advantage of better health, especially your sinuses. Ever noticed how many more colds we get in the winter? Greatly contributing to this is the fact that our sinuses are very dry, and in so being, they are very succeptable to viruses.

Add a whole house humidifier to your HVAC system, and watch your sparks go away, as well as your head colds. You also will be more comfortable, as humidified air makes us feel warmer for any given temperature. You will be surprised how inexpensive this addition is, especially compared to some of the gear we own. Other things in your home will like it too, such as wood furniture, hardwood floors, trim, ect...

I have a 2 zone system in my home, and have a humidifier system integrated in the ductwork of each one. The manufacturer of the product I purchased is "Aprilaire", but there are many others. After installing this system, there was a dramatic change in comfort in our home, and no more winter sparks.

Hope this helps.