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Electrical charge results from the existence of the flow of current in a conductor (look up triboelectric series). It is measured in units of coulombs or mathematically, Q = CV where C is capacitance in farads and V is voltage in Volts. (A related unit is defined as 1 Ampere flowing for 1 second which is the same as 1 Joule or 1 Watt x Second - - - units of energy). If and when a charge has built up on an audio connector or cable, it equalizes itself to a net zero when connecting two electronic sub-systems together meaning that sensitive electronic components may be subjected to it's current x time (or Amp Seconds). Depending on your audio equipment design, this discharge can destroy tiny transistors in the front end of the audio equipment. To avoid this possibility, make sure that the supply power is off when making low level connections and also make sure that you use your finger to discharge any charge that you and your cable may have accumulated by touching something metallic proximal to the system which will dissipate the energy (coulombs or watt seconds). This will protect your expensive audio electronics from this possible hazard (which can be expensive to repair). This problem expresses itself to a maximum degree in colder climates, especially when the relative humidity is less than 25%.
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