About Magenta Audio

It’s all about the music

Magenta Audio is an Australian distributor of carefully selected high-fidelity audio equipment, with a direct retail presence in South Australia.

But we have never been interested in simply moving boxes. Our purpose is to help people build audio systems that communicate the emotion, energy and humanity of music—the kind of systems that make you forget about the equipment and become completely immersed in the performance.

Over the years, we have listened to an extraordinary range of equipment, worked alongside manufacturers and experienced hundreds of audio systems across Australia and overseas. That experience has taught us that specifications tell only part of the story. What ultimately matters is how convincingly a system plays music—and how it makes you feel.

Our story

Magenta Audio grew from a lifelong involvement in music and sound.

After working in hi-fi retail in Australia and the United Kingdom, Mike Kirkham established The Electric Room, a professional audio retail business, with his friend and business partner Dr Peter Foster. In 2007, Mike returned his attention to his greatest passion—high-fidelity music reproduction—and began developing what would become Magenta Audio.

Mike and Peter formally established Magenta Audio in 2010, initially focusing on a small collection of hand-picked brands. In 2014, they acquired the celebrated Australian amplifier company Halcro, further strengthening Magenta’s connection with exceptional audio design and manufacturing.

Tim Brierly subsequently joined the business, bringing a background spanning audio engineering, system design, live production, recording, mastering and electronic music. Today, Mike and Tim run Magenta Audio together, supported by Peter as a long-standing business partner.

While the business has evolved, its purpose has remained unchanged: to find outstanding audio products and help people create systems that bring their music to life.

More than equipment

A great audio system is not simply a collection of highly reviewed components. The room, system configuration, component matching and the individual listener’s priorities all play an important part.

Too many music lovers find themselves on an expensive equipment merry-go-round, continually changing components while searching for something their system never quite delivers. Often, the problem is not the quality of the equipment—it is unsuitable advice, poor system matching or an installation that has not been properly considered.

Our role is to help our customers and specialist dealers make informed decisions. We draw on decades of practical experience to identify products that work together naturally and deliver lasting musical enjoyment.

The goal is not complexity. It is connection.

What guides us

Music first

Every decision begins with the listening experience. We look for products that reproduce music with natural tone, realism, dynamics and emotional impact.

Carefully selected brands

We represent products we genuinely believe in. Many come from smaller, specialist manufacturers whose attention is focused on engineering, craftsmanship and sound rather than mass production or marketing trends.

System synergy

Even exceptional components must work together. We consider the complete system—including the source, amplification, loudspeakers, cables, power, room and listener—rather than evaluating each product in isolation.

Experience over specifications

Measurements and technical information are useful, but they cannot fully describe the experience of listening. Our recommendations are informed by extensive hands-on evaluation and years spent working with music, equipment and real-world systems.

Long-term relationships

We value honest advice, attentive support and enduring relationships with our customers, dealers and manufacturing partners. Many of the people who began as customers have become close friends.

Meet the Magenta Audio team

Mike Kirkham

Managing Director

Mike’s life has always revolved around music. By the age of seventeen, he was performing in Adelaide bands—first as a drummer and later as a guitarist and lead vocalist. His bands toured Australia, supported acts including Dire Straits, The Wonder Stuff and Nick Cave, and one was signed to Warner Music, releasing an EP that briefly appeared in the Australian charts.

He also wrote vocal tuition books, composed jingles and created music for independent films. Alongside these pursuits, Mike worked in hi-fi stores in both Australia and the United Kingdom, where his fascination with high-fidelity reproduction took hold.

After returning from Edinburgh in the mid-2000s, Mike established The Electric Room with Peter Foster before turning his attention to Magenta Audio. He combines a musician’s instincts with decades of industry experience—and an encyclopaedic memory for the music of the 1970s.

For Mike, the best systems are those that communicate the intent of the artist and make listening feel immediate, involving and alive.

Tim Brierly

National Sales Manager

Tim’s interest in hi-fi began early. While other teenagers were saving for their first cars, he was teaching himself to solder, sourcing components and building his first audio system. He later assembled a collection of professional audio equipment and analogue synthesisers for his music studio.

After studying audio engineering, Tim began a career in live sound, mixing bands and designing large-scale line-array systems for festivals and events. He also worked in event management, helping to organise a long-running series of multi-stage music festivals while overseeing the design and operation of their audio systems.

His work expanded into recording, mixing and mastering, alongside his own releases as an electronic music producer, DJ and live performer.

Tim moved into hi-fi retail and distribution more than a decade ago and has since travelled extensively throughout Australia, listening to hundreds of high-end systems. That experience has given him a deep understanding of component synergy and the enormous difference that thoughtful system design can make.

He finds the greatest satisfaction in helping people discover just how engaging their favourite music can sound.

Great sound isn’t just heard—it’s felt. It connects people and creates moments that last a lifetime.

Dr Peter Foster

Business Partner

Peter is Mike’s long-standing friend and business partner. A physicist specialising in laser science, he co-founded The Electric Room with Mike and played an important role in the establishment of Magenta Audio.

Peter remains a partner in the business, contributing his perspective and support largely behind

Natalie O’Neill

Logistics / Accounts

Natalie manages Magenta Audio’s logistics and accounts, helping to keep orders, deliveries and day-to-day administration running smoothly.

Working behind the scenes, she supports Magenta’s customers, dealer partners and suppliers throughout the ordering and fulfilment process.