Sidney Zimet, along with his wife, Nancy, were tragically killed on March 4, when the plane he was piloting crashed in Kentucky, while flying to Nashville on business. They left bchind their two children, Glenn and Barbara.
Almost everyone who met Sid Zimet had his own opinion of him. To some he was a hero. He was often thought of as the outspoken man of audio who stated his opinions and observations about theequipment, its manufacturers and related businesses loud and clear. To me, Sid was an inspiration. Without his inspiration and vision, my company would not exist and I would no doubt be doing something very different with my life.
Throughout his involvement with audio, the people around Sid sought out his advice and expertise. This started when he served as an electronics instructor in the U.S. Air Force and continued throughout his role as founder, owner, and proprietor of the Long Island-based Audio by Zimet, Inc., an audio business that defied description and set a model that was copied throughout this country.
It was at Audio by Zimet that I first met Sid. It was an unusual store, kind of nondescript. As the largest and best-known seller and servicer of Dynaco (a top brand in its day) high-fidelity equipment, this small storefront caught the notice of many. Sid had established a reputation of only subscribing to the top technical standards of per fornlance. He backed this reputation with a technical services department that was unheard of in its time. He had technicians and test equipment that large manufacturers were jealous of. But that was the way Sid did business-whatever it took to get the job done.
We expanded Audio by Zimet into perhaps the leading "semi-pro" dealership in the country. latching on early to the innovative products and concepts being introduced by companies such as dbx, Teac, Tascam and Otari, all the while applying Sid's high technical standards and not letting business and business politics get in the way of getting the job done.And that is what Sid can best be remembered for: He always got the job done.
In his efforts to service his expanding clientele, Sid's vision led us to form a manufacturing arm, Sound Workshop, that has grown into a major maker of professional audio record mix consoles. Sid prided himself on knowing all facets of audio. He was a user, a seller, and a manufacturer.
After Sid left Audio by Zimet and Sound Workshop, his career took him into the New York City audio rental business, leaving his mark on the companies he expanded and the clients that he served. He ultimately formed AudioForce, which grew into one of New York's largest and most versatile audio rental companies. In his effort to better service his customers, he took up flying and was able to offer door-to-door rental service anywhere in the country. It was in this service that he tragically met his death. As his mother said at his funeral, "At least he died doing what he loved-getting the job done."
Thank you, Sid. We'll miss you.
Journal Audio Engineering Society., Vol. 36, No. 6,
1988 June
