locally built billie tube amplifier by heaven 11 adds analog smoothness to any digital library

locally built billie tube amplifier by heaven 11 adds analog smoothness to any digital library
all images courtesy of heaven 11 audio

named after jazz icon billie holiday, the heaven 11 audio ‘billie’ amplifier plays every type of music source, whether it’s from a phone, television, spotify or vinyl. moving away from the trend of generic design and disposable materials, ‘billie’s’ shell is made of thick, machined aluminum. the simplified casting details are balanced by warm, crafted hardwood knobs all crafted in canada. 

the heaven 11 audio ‘billie’

‘our goal is to go beyond soundbars and bluetooth speakers, back to how music was meant to be experienced.’ explains itai azerad, heaven 11 co-founder and designer. ‘we believe that the stereo system is still the best way to experience that ‘live in the room’ feeling. we’re not about ‘multi-room’, we’re about ‘in the room’.’ combining the detailed sound staging of digital to the round, analog smoothness of tubes, ‘billie’ features ICEpower amplification by bang & olufsen. it comes with a custom-built tube preamp and a powerful headphone amp for added flexibility.

the amplifier can also connect to a pair of headphones

‘we designed something for the pragmatic audiophile because we couldn’t find it out there,’ continues azerad. ‘we built an affordable high-caliber amp that plays all of your music collection – be it vinyl, hi-res digital, line or wireless. design is not just aesthetics, it’s how we use an object, what the object communicates to us and about us. I believe a stereo’s design ought to be closer to an electric guitar than a cable box -what most stereos look like these days. an electric guitar is quite a functional tool, -not too many useless knobs on there- but it’s also such an intimate object, there’s a mystery about it, you gotta feel a connection, you gotta want to touch it.’ heaven 11 audio is a montreal-based company founded in 2015 by itai azerad and andre keilani, two product designers with a lifelong passion for music.

‘billie’ connects to vinyl players, streaming services and smartphones 

the front panel 

the flexible form can be placed anywhere in the home  

the two dials adjust volume and sources

the ‘billie’ also comes in black aluminum

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions  feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: piotr boruslawski | designboom

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