In the second of 7 podcasts recorded at T.H.E. Show 2023, we expand our conversation into the distribution arm of Denmark’s ultra-luxe brand, Gryphon Audio Designs ApS. We speak with Anthony Chiarella, Director of Sales & Marketing for Gryphon Audio Designs N.A., which was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of the brand headquartered in Denmark, to extend Gryphon’s availability through its U.S. and Canadian retailer partners. Anthony shares his unique background and provides an industry insider’s perspective of the high-end audio business.
Sponsors: Thank you to our sponsors Q Acoustics & SVS for the support of our programming!
Anthony officially became an audio geek at the age of 13 when he joined his high school AV Club (“We got beaten-up by the football team every Friday!”) and by 16 he was working as an Audio Salesman at New York’s notorious Crazy Eddie. After earning his MBA, he achieved success on Wall Street but soon realized he was more interested in HiFi than High Finance and took a sales position at Lyric HiFi, then the mecca for High End Audio, where he met many industry luminaries including Harry Pearson, Founder and Publisher of The Absolute Sound (TAS). Anthony soon started writing for TAS and most other High End mags and wound up freelancing for Maxim, Esquire, GQ and other mainstream Men’s Magazines. At the same time, some of the companies about whose products he was writing were looking for sales and marketing help, which led him to found Specialty Sound and Vision (SSV), a NY Metro Rep Firm, in 1996. Dedicated to working with the territory’s best retailers, SSV is considered “THE High End Rep Firm.” After the Great Recession, most of the NY Metro retailers closed, so SSV became a National Sales Management company, representing Gryphon, Brinkmann and other Ultra-Luxe High End Manufacturers across the U.S. and Canada.
Where to listen:
- Apple Podcasts
- Google Podcasts
- Amazon Music
- Spotify
- iHeart Radio
- Spreaker
- Stitcher
- Deezer
- Castbox
- Podcast Addict
- Pod-chaser
- TuneIn
Products mentioned:
- Gryphon Kodo Loudspeakers (Flagship model)
- Gryphon EOS 2 Loudspeakers (Entry-level model)
- Gryphon Power Amplifiers
- Gryphon Diablo Integrated Amplifiers
- Gryphon Ethos CD Player
Note: Anthony mentioned he is replacing his Dynamikks! Athos 12 Loudspeakers with Gryphon Audio Trident II Loudspeakers, which were demonstrated at T.H.E. Show 2023.
For more information: gryphon-audio.dk | ssvreps.com
Related links:
Credits:
- Original intro music by The Arc of All.
- Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited.
- Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios.