Static electricty - Can it damage audio gear

After talking to a technician at Harman he said that ESD can cause some glitches in the circuitry. Since the unit works fine he thinks that there should be no damage from previous zaps. What I still find strange is that I do not feel a zap or see any spark. So it is a very small charge. He did suggest the humidifier, proper grounding, static guard. If the unit continues to lockup after these changes they would check it out under warranty. He claims that it is the first time they have seen this with a Proceed product. A decent humidfier is a lot cheaper than a new processor
Thank you all for the excellent feedback.

This issue always seems to come up on the forum during the winter months and yes, damage can occur to some sensitive circuits. Be careful as some audio companies can detect static charge damage on warranty claims and consider the damage to be an "act of God".

Just to be safe, do as the other members have suggested, where the easiest remedy is to discharge yourself by touching your metal rack or something metal nearby. Even touching the corner of a wall as the cornerbead is enough metal to disharge the energy.

In addition, and another simple remedy, is to make sure your shoes are off.

You might also consider getting one of these. They use these when building computers and other electronics to insure no static.

http://www.uline.com/Browse_Listing_1755.asp

with regards to treating carpet with anti-static stuff, would i need to treat all of the carpet in the room or just the area where i stand when adjusting my stereo? also, is there a good ratio of treatment:water to use when making the solution?

thanks

i did a little more digging and was able to answer my own questions. this thread over at audio asylum had some good info.