The Hub: News, events, gossip - Sound by Singer to close


For the last quarter-century, there has been no high-end audio dealer in the world as well known as Andrew Singer, of Sound by Singer in Manhattan. From the junk-bond era through the last burst bubble of the markets, the megabuck systems sold by Andy Singer reflected not just the extremes and excesses of the high end, but of Wall Street itself.

On the 6th of August, Singer informed his vendors that "despite our best efforts, Sound by Singer has lost its lease and will be shutting down its showroom at 18 East 16th Street, New York, NY in mid-September." He did not state specifically that the company was going out of business, only that the company would "ponder our next move" after the completion of a clearance sale on August 21st.

Attorney Andrew Singer began his business more or less as a hobby in the late '70's, demoing systems in his mother's living room for a hardcore audiophile clientele. Singer left the practice of law in 1978 with the opening of the first Sound by Singer store on Lexington Avenue between 34th and 35th Street; his first employee was Steve Guttenberg, now well-known as an audio writer, reviewer and blogger.

From the '80's on, Singer's bearded visage became a common sight in full-page ads in audio magazines, most notably in Sterophile. Singer's advocacy contributed to the success of many brands, including Krell, JM Labs/Focal, and VTL. Perhaps more than any other well-known dealership, Sound by Singer was viewed as an extension of its owner, and that owner evoked strong reactions in those who knew him, and those who merely knew of him.

Singer's verbal facility, combative nature, intolerance of fools and imposing physical presence made him the subject of endless stories, some no doubt apocryphal. We may never know, for instance, if an amplifier really was shot full of holes following a dispute with its distributor.

The audiophile community is familiar with stories of Singer's alleged arrogance; the industry abounds with tales of hard-dealing and tough terms. Many who worked with and for Andy, though, are fiercely loyal.

"I think he was a great businessman," said Steve Guttenberg. "I was with him for sixteen or seventeen years, on and off, and always got along with him well.The thing most audiophiles don't realize is that retailing audio is hard work, and we worked hard there. The bulk of the time, I worked my ass off; every day was a race to get things done, and they just didn't all get done."

Guttenberg noted the changes in clientele that came as Sound by Singer grew from an audiophile hangout to a destination for the rich and famous: "in the early days, the customers really were exclusively audiophiles. In the last ten or fifteen years, I'm guessing three-fourths of the customers were rich people, not necessarily audiophiles."

John DeVore of DeVore Fidelity knew Andy Singer both as his boss and as one of his dealers. "I started in sales in '96, and worked there until about 2000, and tapered off as my company got up and running," DeVore said. "I always liked Andy, and still do. He was my biggest dealer, and when he called to tell me about the closing--well, that wasn't a conversation I wanted to have."

Strong opinions seem to follow most of Singer's actions, and they've followed the news of the closing of his store. Posts on an industry forum on CE Pro were less than kind; high-end legend and founder of The Absolute Sound Harry Pearson said the closing was "a fate richly earned and deserved."

What Andy Singer will do after the doors close for the last time at the familiar storefront on 16th Street, and he ponders his next move, remains to be seen. Some say that health issues and age mean retirement is likely; others speculate that Sound by Singer with adapt to the demands of the virtual marketplace and reappear as an online business. Efforts to talk with Singer have proven fruitless.

John DeVore offers a comment that will encourage some, and dismay others: "Hi-Fi is really in Andy's blood. I'd be surprised if he didn't come back."

Our next entry of The Hub will discuss still more changes in the world of audio retailing. In audio, as in the rest of the world, the only constant is change.


UPDATE

Sound By Singer has moved, and is not closed. Please see their new location here: SOUND BY SINGER,LTD. 242 WEST 27 STREET,SECOND FLOOR NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10001
audiogon_bill

Thanks for the comments, all. I'm especially glad to read positive comments about dealers who, along with manufacturers and distributors, are the risk-takers in a difficult and unpredictable field.

I got out of retail ages ago when it became obvious to me that I would eventually murder a customer. The level of demands imposed by customers often seems inversely proportional to the amount of the customer's purchases. I have a great deal of respect for anyone who can operate in any type of sales, especially retail sales, and maintain a pleasant demeanor and provide good service. It ain't easy.

Music: you're right about the number of highly skilled folks who worked for and with Andy. That's why I made a point of bringing up Messrs. Guttenberg and DeVore, two of the most dedicated and pleasant gents I know.

Thanks again to you all for taking the time to comment.
Rx8man, and I are in agreement.
Here is an interesting story that I heard about a few years ago at a 'high-end' appliance store. A disheveled man walked into the showroom and asked to speak to a salesperson. The salesperson came up to this man and proceeded to quickly show him the door. A friend of mine works at this companies competitor a few miles away. The same man came in and a salesperson there helped him buy a 'Gaggenau' oven that day. Over a period of a few months this customer spent nearly $1M on various items for several properties that he owned. Well one day, the salesperson, who now had a good relationship with his customer, asks him why he doesn't get dressed up when he goes out? The customer's answer: Who am I trying to impress?
Speaking of Steve Guttenberg, his blog today addresses concerns on the subject of brick and mortar survival:

Cnet Article
Davey:

Years ago when I was in the racing industry in Memphis, a guy walked into our showroom wearing overalls and muddy boots. As the junior salesman, I looked to see if any of the other guys were going to help the farmer at the counter. No one did.

Reluctantly, I went to wait on him. He asked intelligent questions about a number of expensive engine components. I answered to the best of my ability, and eventually he said, "I'll take 'em".

Still skeptical, I filled out the sales ticket for about $5000 in parts and asked, "how would you like to pay, Sir?"

He simply said, "cash", and pulled out the proverbial horse-choker roll of bills from his overall pocket, peeling off a stack of hundreds.

We all know better than to judge by appearances, but we all do it. Whether we think we do, or not.
Years ago working for radio shack, some of my best customers were Amish kids who bought car stereos and ran them off car batteries in their barns (probably behind parent's backs)!
Oh, Well. As the mayor of my town once told me. "There will always be someone to take your place if you go under"
There is no customer loyalty in todays society.
the bad news-- a landmark, qustionable as it might be, is gone from our audio hobby landscape... sign of things to come?
the good news-- sbs is finally gone! oof, that was along time coming....sign of things to come?
I saw Mr. Singer so many times in the magazines I subscribed to that I felt I knew him. I miss what Mr. Singer represented. He represented the "High end" to me. I say this in an abstract kind of way. High end "emporiums" where you could listen to the equipment that you couldn't afford are sadly missed by me.
The first time a sales-person told me about "Koetsu", I thought he said "Kudsu", "Yeah, they got a lot of that down in Georgia", I responded. That was my introduction to the "High end".
Map: thanks for the image of guys in white shirts, black hats and suspenders, covertly listening to Def Leppard in a barn! Classic.

Ogi: thanks for that cheery thought!

Ozy: right. I think....

Orpheus: yeah, they had a lot of kudzu in Mississippi, south of Memphis, too. Thanks for the story!
Probably couldn't pull it off for lack of horse and buggy parking. Can you get a horse and buggy through the Holland tunnel these days?

I imagine audio sales in a large city to be trying on the patience. All those tire kickers and lowballers coming through just to listen and leave empty handed. Folks saying "Sure but I can get it for $5000 less on Audiogon...

I have no interest in being in the business but if you choose retail for a career you need to at least be congenial, welcome customers, and have people walk away with a fantastic experience. Maybe I have it backwards and the folks at SBS are sailing a Nordwinds to Fiji right now.

Too bad.
I've never been in his store, never talked to them on the phone or anywhere else. (But then I tend not to go to dealers or shows period.) Heard a couple of stories alluded to over the years, but my only real exposure was to his Stereophile ads. I'll say two things about those ads: 1) I usually didn't like their text, or appeciate the everpresent photos of the hirsute, overweight proprietor, or admire the high expense they so obviously represented, and 2) I always read them anyway.

In any case, my impression was always to take as real the comment made about the relationship between Singer's shop and the fortunes of Wall Street, and I never could help but wonder, not only where this conspicuously large money actually came from and whether or not it was truly earned (and did this breed of customer even really know and love music at all?), but what kind of potentially negative effect was a single exceptional (in the literal sense) store like Singer's capable of having on the direction of the high end in general and the ability of ordinary non-"Masters Of The Universe" types like me to afford it.
I only ever met Andy Singer once twenty odd years ago and have made sure that record stood up right until the present. He reminded me of King Farouk the way he made his employees wait on him and the way he ordered everyone around. Corpulent and dismissive best describe him in my memory.
Something inside me tells we will see and hear more from him thru the net.... Might be wrong thou.
Salespeople of many high end products are taught to "qualify" a customer early on, so as not to waste precious time with someone who doesn't have the financial wherewithal to actually make a purchase. This can also have a positive outcome for the salesperson in the case of the fringe buyer (someone who can barely afford to buy; or has good credit), as some customers who take the brush-off personally respond with an "Oh ya? I'll show you!" purchase.
These seemingly snobby, elitist salespeople never seem to be in a position where they need to actually "close" a sale. The customer seems to do it for them!
Genius, I say. After all, they're not in the gig to make friends, are they?
I always got a laugh out of seeing the full page flavour of the month stereo systems or individual product ads in Stereophile showing $60,000 speakers , etc

Seeing these ads made me think that they only were catering to one crowd , the high heeled of society and completely ignorning the average person who is an audiophile and into high end.

My quess is that the rich people they were catering to in those ads would be probably a one time buyer.They bought the best , the ad said so, no more purchases. I would further conclude that many of the customers had the $$ but probably knew squat about equipment or high end in general and it was just a status symbol purchase.

Too bad they ignored the little guys, as they are the ones that will buy again and upgrade because this is their passion.Maybe they would still be in business. I for one won't miss those silly ads in Stereophile.
I am very much aware of some of the negative comments that have been made about Andy Singer. I am sure that he is no teddy bear and have rubbed some people the wrong way.

Yet, I feel that the business that he ran and the well qualified sales people, of varying personality, that he hired were the real deal and this was not just another audio store that drifted into home theater because everyone else was doing it.

Thanks to Andy, I was introduced to some of the finest audio designers and iconic gear in the hobby's history. I was always treated with respect because I gave Andy and his team respect and more importantly honesty.

If more people in this hobby, and this world for that matter, would simply tell a professional the truth about their purchase and budgetary intentions, so much bullshit in business would be eradicated and both sides could win.

"No, I cannot afford this right now but would greatly appreciate the opportunity to hear and understand it so I can make a better educated decision later; (or simply enjoy the experience) but I may consider something less expensive in the near to medium future."

A reasonable paraphrase of my approach to that store. It was appreciated and I was treated very very well as a result. And, I did make good on my promise by paying a great deal of money for a demo unit some month's later that I still have to this day and have enjoyed. Long term relationships in high - end retail can be the most profitable of all. Many just don't get it. Andy and his team did.

D.H.
CT Audio Society
Bj, Z, Macro, Fig,AZ, Moon: to each his own. Each of your comments contain truth.

Dan: thanks for cutting to the chase. There are few businesses where one can spend appreciable amounts of time before wrapping up (literally or figuratively) a purchase as one can in an audio salon. There are those amongst us who turn stores into a replacement of mom and dad's rec room, a place to gather and consume time and energy without thought of material or human cost.

Well, after a point, mom and dad don't appreciate it, and neither do retailers. Also like mom and dad, retailers do appreciate a bit of honesty, an occasional inkling of appreciation, and perhaps, a periodic infusion of cash.

Thanks to all who took the time to post their thoughts regarding Sound by Singer, about the state of audio retailing, and life in general.

The Hub will continue its coverage of the state of audio retailing with a review of economic events of the past few years. We will of course focus on the world of audio, but as you may have noticed, things are tough all over.

We ask you to ponder this question, with regards to the audio industry:

Just how bad is it?