Andrew Singer Of "Sound by Singer" passed away yesterday

Never met him or went to his store, but the man was an institution in audio equipment retailing. May he rest in peace.

I visited his store from time to time when I live in New York in the late 1970s. It was always a delight -- sort of like when my wife and I perused the street floor of Tiffany's. Here is Andrew's brief obituary:

Andrew Neil Singer - September 16, 1950-April 21, 2024.

Beloved husband of Sandra Felgoise Singer, father to Isabel Singer, and brother to Rickie Singer Peaslee. Andy died the way he lived – fighting fiercely and valiantly against all odds. First an acoustic guitar player, then a lawyer at Skadden Arps, he settled into his career selling high-end audio equipment and became an icon in the field. His goal was to replicate live sound as closely as possible with the use of audio components and systems. A history buff, his knowledge of the civil war often exceeded that of whatever lecturer he was listening to. He had an encyclopedic memory and will be remembered for his brilliance and authenticity.

For those who want to make a donation, please consider a donation to weeksvillesociety.org. Weeksville is an historic site in Central Brooklyn, one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America. New York, the Civil War, and Freedom are all things that were precious to Andy.

I remember going to his shop years ago --80s?--and asking to hear a pair of Acoustats (I think). As I listened, I found the imaging odd and asked Andrew if they were hooked up correctly. He checked and found the the left and right channels were reversed. He laughed heartily at his mistake. RIP

I remember Sound by Singer store like no other that would FIRST look at depth of your pocket before servicing you. They very often started conversations from "you probably can't afford it" -- that meant that I didn't have Rolex on my wrist and dressed "too casual". Walk in with Rolex and designer clothing -- all dealers are around you! My old memories there: markups on every piece of equipment is titanic and service depends on how you walk in.

one of the stalwarts in the nyc high end retail scene

all high end retail stores turn some people off, andy could do that for sure

but through this store over the decades, he made many many an audiophile happy with great systems he advised on, sold and serviced

rip andy singer

btw -- this should remind all of us too that life is indeed very short, don’t dwell on negativity, be positive and don’t let tortured souls we meet in life drag us down