We were honoured to receive a shout-out from Soundstage Australia "Standout Rooms at StereoNET’s Melbourne Hi-Fi & AV Show 2023":
"Another consistent musical joy at every show is the gear presented by Bill Mclean. Mclean’s preferred loudspeaker showing has uniformly been large Magnepan panels. This time it was MG1.7i at a modest AU$5,495 which sounded glorious through the mids driven by a Sanders Sound Magtech power amplifier fed by AURALiC’s Altair G2.1 Preamp/DAC/Streamer (switch by Melco S100/2).
Low-end support came via two REL S/510 subwoofers. Loudspeaker DSP management provided by dbx DriveRack Venu360. All hooked by FoilFlex cables. As always, this was an open, fluid sound with excellent bass integration from subwoofers to panels. As you’d expect from Magnepan, vocals were clear, intelligible and totally realistic. Oh, and did I mention that AC/DC track “Ride On” totally kicked butt?"
Read the full report by Edgar Kramer here.
(Image courtesy Joshua Brain)
And from the team at StereoNET:
"Stepping into a dark room where music was flowing, LED light strips on the floor guided you to a sonic haven. The Magnepan speakers stood tall and dark on each side of the room, with REL subwoofers sitting (almost quietly) beside them as the music flowed. The subtle blue glow from the Sanders Magtech power amplifier’s front panel sat in contrast to the prominent sound meter indicating the real-time listening level.The Magnepan MG1.7i panels produced a calming sound overall, one that you could listen to for long periods of time.
The REL subwoofers were subtle in intervention but helped the bottom end, which was taut and controlled but well integrated and not overpowering. The speaker’s openness was evident on every track, and the lithe top end was a delight to listen to.Displaying a sound level meter is an interesting concept; some listeners are fascinated by maximum SPL levels, but in the Mcleans room, it was kept to reasonable levels, and never got to dangerous or unpleasant levels. The darker room was a good concept as it helped people to focus on the sound."
Read the full report by Paul Sechi, Mark Gusew and Marc Rushton here.