Ray Benza Still Going Strong

By Ilyssa Panitz

Photography by Justin Negard

Ray Benza was only 17 years old when he found his professional calling as “The Curator of Sound” during a visit to his sister’s apartment in Ossining. Moments after he walked through the door, Benza’s eyes became fixated on what he saw. Various pieces of hi-tech stereo equipment pressed up against an eight-foot wall in his sister’s living room.  “It was love at first sight,” Benza recalls. “The stereo equipment was over-the-top and unlike anything I had ever seen before.” The wall was lined with a stainless steel Teac reel-to-reel that had a 10.5-inch reel, measuring 22 inches wide and 25 inches high, an Advent cassette player/recorder, Pioneer speakers over two feet tall, and a McIntosh C-26 preamplifier with built-in meters that measured 20 inches deep and 10 inches tall. Benza’s heart raced, and he experienced an “indescribable sensation” as he gently touched each piece and studied every detail, down to the on/off power button.

“My brother-in-law served in Vietnam in the late 60s,” Benza explains, “and he would mail these items back to the U.S. because they were available through the U.S. Air Force BX.” Benza, the founder and owner of Entertainment Technologies in Mt. Kisco, which sells high-end, professionally curated audio for the home, didn’t always have the reputation of being an industry pioneer, but he knew if he wanted to be successful, his climb would have to start at the bottom.

Falling in love with audio

Benza’s fascination with sound equipment dates back to when he was a child growing up in Yorktown Heights. Benza, a friendly and chatty guy who answers every question by telling a lengthy story, says playing The Beatles albums on his dad’s stereo was his “music revolution.” His passion for music and quality sound escalated after experiencing the Japanese products his brother-in-law brought back from the war. “I knew then, this is what I wanted to do,” Benza says with great enthusiasm.

From there, Benza began reading magazines to learn about the merchandise. Benza was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1969, and when he went into the Army Reserve, he became a radio operator, entrenching himself in all areas of radio and the electronics field. In 1971, Benza earned a position as an independent contractor at Lafayette Radio installing car stereos.

Becoming an innovator

Benza continued to strengthen his skills, and by 1973, he was setting up sound systems in nightclubs and using his newly formed Rolodex of contacts to sell equipment. As Benza’s popularity grew, he realized that to be an innovator, he had to create something original. So during that same year, Benza installed a 6 ½-foot Nova projection screen at Gemini II, a discotheque in Yorktown Heights. Approximately three years later, in 1976, right before the VHS was invented and five years before MTV, Benza began filming music videos at The Gemini using a Sony U-matic recorder. “I would hire a professional sound man, and together we would jack into the mixing board and live microphones to record shows by Twisted Sister, Zebra and Rat Race Choir,” Benza explains. “Then, we mixed them to create the audio track for a video that could be played for patrons to watch and dance to.”

Two years later, in 1978, Benza bought his first satellite system, which he secured on top of Gemini II, beaming in video from all over the world since the owner wanted cutting-edge technology. Naturally, word of Benza’s novel concept spread quickly, leading to a connection with the head of Harvey Electronics and becoming an independent advisor and custom installer at Harvey Electronics, managing their large projects. He opened Advanced Satellite Communications Systems in Danbury in 1983, and in 1989, he renamed his business Entertainment Technologies. Benza relocated to Carmel in 1997, where he opened an installation shop, and in 2003, he planted roots in Bedford Hills, selling high-end equipment, two-channel and multi-room audio, surround sound lighting and flat-screen TVs, as well as building private movie theaters. After outgrowing Bedford Hills in 2012, Benza moved to his current Mt. Kisco location, where he expanded into the smart home technology space.

Aside from having a natural gift for gab, Benza says his brain is always racing with ideas to find golden opportunities. That mindset and drive helped him to land prominent clients, such as the New York Rangers (from 1983 to 2005), the Boston Celtics (from 1986 to 1995), the Washington Capitals (in 1990), and the New York Islanders (from 1990 to 1991), for whom he installed audio-visual systems.

Evolving Again

In addition to working with professional sports organizations, Benza was selling audio, video and satellite systems to athletes, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy business executives throughout Westchester, the tri-state area, Manhattan, the Hamptons and California. As manufacturers began selling larger televisions, Benza began installing TVs and surround sound systems in his high-end clients’ homes. And when automation and computers started to dominate the marketplace, he again grew his business by building customized private movie theaters for his clientele.

“This business changes every day,” Benza explains. “And it is my responsibility to know about those changes, because sadly, I have witnessed many people lose their jobs and audio/video stores close their doors. So, I need to stay ahead of the curve.”

Today, Entertainment Technologies’ 4,000-square-foot store is filled with an array of high-quality products, such as entry-level, high-fidelity systems; small streamer/amps; products from Sonos and Bluesound Systems; and more exotic products by D’Agostino Audio System, Wilson Audio, McIntosh, Sonus faber, dCS and Audio Research, as well as the first private motion simulation theater on the east coast, where the seats move in sequence with the movie.

Casting a line

When Benza is not demonstrating equipment to potential customers, jotting down orders or meeting with his sales team, he loves to ride a dirt bike, attend motorcycle races, play the guitar and go fishing. “I am a big fisherman,” Benza confides. “I have been fishing my whole life, and I consider it my solace. I leave my phone in the car and sit by myself in total peace on the water for about 50 hours a year.” However, Benza does make one exception to the “solo fisherman” rule. Every June, Benza heads to the mountains for his annual five-day fishing trip with his eight best friends from high school. This trip is always memorable. “We fish 10 hours a day, drink beer, eat pizza, play poker and play our guitars to songs from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin or Heart,” Benza laughs. While he’s filled with endless fishing tales, Benza’s proudest moment occurred back in 1990 when he was in Montauk and caught a 710-pound shortfin mako shark. “It was so cool,” he remembers. “It took me over six hours with my rod and reel, and when I finally got it onto the boat I was on, I took a photo; my catch made it into The New York Post; The New York Daily News and CNN picked up the story as well.”

Still going strong

While some of Benza’s pals have retired, Benza says he has no plans of slowing down or retiring anytime soon. “My two big aspirations are to play my guitar at a club and never give up my career,” he explains. “I am passionate about the art of entertainment technology, and I love seeing the joy it brings to people.”

This article was published in the July/August 2025 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.