did lightning do this?


i run a pair of totem model 1 signatures(the rest of my system is posted). we just had a pretty intense lightning in the oakland, ca area, and like a dummy i didn't unplug anything. after a near strike, my speakers fizzed, and i imedietely shut everything down. when i turned things back on, all i was getting from my speakers was a tizzy small sound. i figured it was my amp since i've had problems with it shorting in the past. but when i switched it out with an older amp that i used to use, the problem remained. finally, i broght in an old pair of boston acoustics that i had in storage, and they worked fine. so my question is are the totem's fried? i wouldn't figure that a pair of speakers could fry like like this. maybe 1, but both of them. or is there something im possibly missing that needs to be done here. please help because i really like these totem's and i haven't had them that long...

thanks for your help.
sberger
If you own your home have an electrician install a whole house surge protector. Should be around $250.
You may be able to get some help from your homeowner's insurance policy. Lightning damage of electronic equipment (which is what you probably incurred) is usually covered.
Most insurance companies have limits for what they will cover on electronics damaged by a surge. Many times they will not cover more than $1000 per item which to non audiophiles is fine but the folks on audiogon could run into a big gap in coverage. You also have to take your deductible into consideration.
I live in Los Angeles, and the other night the thunder and lightning woke me up at 1:30 in the morning. My first thought was, "Cool!". Ten seconds later I jumped out of bed and unplugged my system from the wall. Maybe a good thing, eh?
A tree about 30 feet from my house was struck with a very powerful bolt that was heard by people for miles around. The tree was just a big pile of kindling...it exploded! TV sets, VCRs, microwave ovens, computer modem, control panel on the refrigerator, etc. all got fried, but homeowners paid "replacement value" for everything. However, there was also some damage to landscape features (the juice came in underground) and the foundation, so the insurance company was clearly involved. Interestingly the audio system was completely unaffected, except that my FM tuner lost its station memory, and had to be reprogrammed.

It seems strange that the speakers were affected rather than electronics, but lightning does strange things.