A quick note about comments I get regarding giant killer. That is only true If you use it as a preamp. If you use it as the way it is, it performs solidly at its price level but not a giant killer. Cost of running a business www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/1348949-philharmonic-audio-dennis-murphy-279.html#post57933376
A great follow up to your interview with Itai. You provide useful information on how you match equipment to your listening preferences. I hope Itai has continued success designing and building excellent audio equipment in Canada.
I love watching your videos! I was just re watching the Buchardt s300 mk2 review. I really enjoy the Musical Paradise MP-D1 MK3 Dac that you reviewed and bought. Thank you Thomas!
Good to have you back Thomas. Great review. I will give it great consideration as it is the third gear to have blown you away. It is a first class recommendation.
Thomas, first off I want to thank you for the hard work/time in putting together these great reviews, your honest takes and sincerity in your delivery. You, The Next Big Thing and Zero Fidelity are my go-to channels. You all have one thing in common: you aren't trying to sell people in what the should listen to, so thank you! After a lot of research I've decided to pull-the-trigger on the S400's, took months to decide. Now is time to buy its lifelong partner: the integrated amp. This decision is harder for me because I don't know integrated amps well. I'm going to be pairing the S400's with an integrated that is $2k or less. I honestly thought about the soon-to-be released A500's but am a little hesitant because the electronics are inside the speaker with only a 2 year warranty. Plus having an external integrated amp I could always test out new speakers. So, I was hoping you have a recommendation or two. This Billie is in the running, great review! Also, thinking Dayens Menuetto, Parasound A23+, Schiit Ragnorak? I listen to music/tv 70/30. Just want two speakers and an integrated amp, may add a Rel sub later on. I want to buy once and cry once, if you know what I mean. Again, thank you from a neophite audiophile.
Thanks, I personally like the S400 with class AB amps. I have never tried it with this Billie but I think you need power to drive those S400 with its seal design.
Hi Thomas, I know you're a big proponent for the Schiit Freya and I concur with your observations! Perhaps to save the curious minds of those that wonders about the more recent Freya+, it outright trounces the former especially with the Shuguang Black Treasure CV181-Z tubes. The lower noise floor alone is worth the upgrade. I'll be very curious if the Billie Amp would be able to match up to the performance that the Freya+ offers. Please do something to bring the prominence of the Freya+ to the masses because high-fidelity audio shouldn't be reserved for the well-heeled only. Thanks.
I use the Black Treasure CV181 in my Schiit Saga and the performance upgrade even over NOS 6SN7 was shocking....anyone using a Freya or Saga owes it to themselves to try these tubes...
Nice, I do have Black cv181z tubes too, just never tried it with the Freya. I really like my Freya and if Schiit send me a freya+, I will definitely review it.
You're right! I remember it from my Dublin years. It was quite common to see one of these being played among other instruments into Irish pubs. Great memories!
Interesting.Would like to have the Freya+,Vidar,Mani,Magni ($1930?) vs the Billie at $1450.Tough choice because you can add $100 for Schiit Aegir and get 20 watts or stick with Vidar and get 100 wpc.But Billie looks great for most people and iff 60 wpc will do it for you a terrific bargain.Looks/ergonomics are killer to boot.Man I wish they's allow for a mono operation and an add on amp
Well don't forget to add a bluetooth device to the schiit stack! The Schiit combo you mentioned at higher price would have a more muscular sound, slight v curve that most people like.
Thomas & Stereo It was the shaking to remove them from the box that made me cringe. Treat your tubes like they were eggs , very gently. Nice review, thanks Thomas.
Thomas I know youre going to pitch those JJ's for some nice NOS and your going to like it even more..... Kinda like that Schitt Freya experience you had
Another good review Thomas. You could have titled this review "giant killer" because your analysis says as much. I too love it when my expectations are exceeded.
Thanks, that is only true for the preamp section. Meaning when I use it as a preamp. In it's native form, it is a good integrated amp but not a giant killer.
Another informative and great review. Interesting amp too, both for its promising sound, all in one solution as for its design! Maybe interesting for you to get hands on the Xtonebox Silver 6011 hand made in Spain. A different outer design but also an all in one solution. Class D with tubes(4x) pre amp, bluethooth and lossless bass & treble tone controls. Both are in the same price range too. Curious about the difference between both of these amps.
Nice review Thomas , lol my first ? On your first billie amp video was do they make just a pre-amp lol. I mix match all my amps integrated amps and amps new and Vintage Check this out Thomas IOTA SA3 as a Pre/ Sansui G-8000 as power amp yes the Sansui has a switch for amp only Mode 😆 ohh yeah Vintage with a REMOTE LOL P.S. EMOTIVA STACK REVIEW coming soon spent alot of time with Emo , very impressed with price tag And Horn loaded speakers 😆 on 4th set of speakers tonight !
I own a Moon i-3 integrated amp and their CD-1 with KLH Model 5 speakers. I am considering adding a streamer and might add a DAC at some point to replace the one in the CD-1 that only services it. What would your impression be of a Billy m2 vs the Moon i-3? I am open my mind to a person like you who appreciates nuances. I was a professional singer for many years.
Most audiophiles don’t want the filtering and it’s not easy to implement or pull off in the analog domain. An AV receiver can do a good job of bass management, as it’s done in the digital domain through DSP.
Sean B sub filtering is done very easily in the analog domain. Both Crown and QSC pro amps do it very well at reasonable pricing. They have done it in class ab as well as class d. My older B&K pt series preamp / stereo receiver I use for HT has a low pass sub output. Low pass outputs just don't seem to be in enough demand for most companies to bother with.
I find that it’s the car audio folks that really ask for it. Car audio deals with much higher crossover points, making high pass filtering pretty essential
If you play a turntable and have deep bass you can get a feedback loop through the turntable that goes out of control and makes the mid woofer on your speaker go crazy until you turn it down. Back in the day vintage preamps and Recievers ( like pioneer SX1250) had a button called “ low frequency filter” that would block bass below 35 hertz. This allows you to play as loud as you want without feedback. It’s super convenient and I won’t even use a preamp without one. Some phono preamp have them and the super high end Yamaha 5000 Reciever has it.
Hi Thomas! Thanks for awesome videos! Always immediate watch when you release new videos! I have buchardt s300. Do you think Iotavx sa3 would match that set well? Music 40%, console gaming 40% and tv/movies 20%. I like bass heavy music, but my room is relatively small and speakers close to wall so I dont need too warm amp imo as S300 have plenty of bass out of box. So maybe that U-curve of sa3 could be sufficient in my case? Do you think there is better alternative for me in sub 1000e? This billie amp was interesting but out of price bracket as there will be customs etc to Finland. And lack of remote..
I think SA3 combo with the PA3 will work well for you. I never tried it but Sean at Zero fidelity seem to think so. You have free return so give it a try, you probably have to pay a bit but nothing beats home trial.
@@ThomasAndStereo I loved that review, bought a Freya+ partly based on it! But I understand the + is better than the original. And the discontinued Freya S may have been the best of them...
@@ThomasAndStereo great review as always, how would you compare Billie amp to schiit freya? What would be the difference? Just the Billie amp preamp section of cos.. thanks!
Hey Thomas. Thanks for a nice review. Am always somewhat puzzled at what to take away from a review. I know it’s a really tough job, you want to be honest while not being too negative as that’s bad karma and after all as several have said there isn’t really bad gear out there those days. What would be really helpful is to know if, post the review, you have kept listening to it just because you like it and not because you have to prepare a review. Have you? If you had CA$1600 for an integrated amp for you main system, would you buy this? Let’s assume we listen to the same kind of music
I stopped using my audio research after I discovered how amazing of a preamp this is. I only used it as a preamp and used it until the day I had to return it. Would I buy it for myself as an integrated amp? No, I need more than 50w to drive the dozens of speakers I test each year. I almost bought it just for the preamp but stopped myself because of Coronavirus. I know the economy is tanking and I don't want to spend money on things unless I absolute need unless it is not too expensive.
Kt66 tubes should work well think they are the best can you fit them Direct or not I mean does it need to be rewired for them there's no switching a search on the amplifier You can touch tubes it won't do them any harm. Probably not looking at the distance between the tubes interested something tries it. Interesting if you try the preamp section with the iota Poweramp! Bridged and unbridged still like to know what that combination would be like theoretically it should work very well. Can you try it out for us when you get a chance let us know what you think Thomas!
this is the third time in months I'm watching this video... now, I have a naive question... could anyone give me an idea how this beauty would sound with Triangle Comète Ez... thanks
I enjoy your reviews. You have excellent relevant components up for review and your opinions I've found to be very similar to how I feel about a lot of the pieces. However, I cant explain how annoying your lighting constantly changing is in this video :-)
I understand rolled off treble, where you can’t hear highs or lows past a curtain point. Is rounded treble when the highs have been softened, so they aren’t as sharp/bright?
Hi Thomas. I am looking at possibly adding a power amp in combination with my Billie amp (which I enjoy immensely). I was just wondering if you had any issues matching up an amp with the signals coming out the pre-outs on the Billie amp. Thank you.
Hey did you ever add a power amp to the billie thoughts? I was thinking that same but wondering what it dose sound wise as my speakers are already 95db so billie power should be enough but I wonder what a power amp dose
Whoa. Can we fast backwards for a minute? When did you review the Creek amp? I somehow missed that one. Also, my biggest complaint regarding female vocals is ssssibilance. What amp do you feel minimizes that annoyance the best. Of what you've auditioned.
Clifford Costley I have experienced sibilance with vinyl but never an issue for me with cd's. In my experience this would most likely be source related. I really can't imagine any decent amp introducing sibilance. If it is a speaker related issue then no amp in the world will solve the problem. If you can hook up a good set of headphones to your source and the ssss's persist then I would suspect the source. One time it was my stylus causing it. It took a magnifier to see the accumulated crud on the back of the stylus,. A good cleaning restored it. Always worth cleaning all your cable connectors with a good electronics cleaner to ensure good connections. Good luck and hope you resolve it.
Dang. Wish I hadn’t seen this. I just bought a Cambridge audio amp cax61. I am thinking this would be a better amp for my Elac debuts. What do you think?
I can not hear the drum that the girl is playing in the "with or without you video. Could be my old ears or my inexpensive listening system. I'd like to hear it in FLAC to see if I could hear it. My thought is my system is not up to the task.
Hi Thomas, Would you go for the Billie or instead a Schiit Freya tube preamp + XTZ Edge A2-300 class D amp to get the best sound ? Or maybe Billie + XTZ ??? Thanks a lot for all your reviews. Math.
Caviars?😝 I don't want fish eggs in my amp lol. Sounds like those Kickstarter supporters got a hell of a deal. (Though it still seems like a good value at the regular price.) But why did you have three of them?
When I interviewed Itai, he brought over 2special edition to show me. The 3rd one was my review sample at the time. Yeah those Kickstarter got the deal of the century.
But with only 2 vacuum tubes sticking out like acne on a teenagers face how is this possibly going to match to say any amp with lines of tubes like a Mclntosh 275 ?
@@ThomasAndStereo I just heard you say you didn't review the schiit Freya + but in your video it is the + because if you look at their website the other Freya don't have 4 tubes ? So I'm confused cause to me that's the Freya + you reviewed no? I have a question in relation to the monoprice power amplifier if you are able to look it up online and see the specs am I able to bi amp this unit ? Someone told me you can't on this model but I feel like you can ! I'm also curious Thomas because they say it's 200 watt two-channel and the power amp monoprice that I have is a 5 Channel power amp I have a pair of focal Aria 948 tower speakers however it's only two a positive And a negative on each speaker they don't have a dual binding... I was thinking if I would go to Amazon and buy some blue jeans speaker they have one that's for bi wiring 1 and has two cables and the other end has 4 If I bought two of these cables and I plugged him into each of my focals using the the 2 ended part going into my speakers like normalwhen I get better sound quality plugging the other end that are for 4 into my power amp so therefore using two channels for one speaker and another two channels going to the right speaker will I then be getting about 400 watt a channel? Opposed to me just running each speaker only connected to one channel ? Hope you can understand my question! What do you think ? Will it sound better using 2 channels for each speaker with them cables ? Thx
@@newton5954 The first freya looks exactly like the freya+. You cannot bi amp or bi word focal speakers. The way you described how you want to connect your amp, you will most likely fry your amp.
@@ThomasAndStereo I was just trying to figure out how I can get more power out of my power amp which is 5 channels at 200 watt two-channel by using those cables taking two channels and putting it to one speaker and doing the same for the other speaker I thought maybe that would give me an extra 200 watt! As for the freya but I was looking on the website and I don't see the one you're talking about the only one that looks like the one you have in your video with four tubes is the Freya + are you able to send me the link if I'm just not seeing it. I really want to consider buying the Freya but I know that you said it sound really really good and sounding a lot better than more or less preamps twice the cost of it this unit!! You did blind test comparison and you were blown away how amazing this sounds! But why did you not do the Freya + ? What is the difference between the model you did compared to that one? Do you think the Freya + would sound better and have better specs ? I do appreciate you taking time to get back to me I'm a big fan of your channel... I'm just looking to get better sound out of my stereo without breaking the bank I have a bluesound node 2i directly going to my Poweramp currently that's it I've been using the streaming tidal to play my songs plus I have a USB drive plugged into the back with 24-bit flac songs!! I just don't know what to do to get better sound quality some people say a preamp in the chain makes it sound way better some people just like going direct ? I don't know for example I did try the schiit saga s preamp and I got to be honest I did not hear much of an improvement in sound quality using that over the bluesound preamp going direct!! So I sold it maybe it wasn't good enough maybe it's too cheap that model? I dunno so do you think there is a big difference going to the Freya + ? I was also at some point going to include a better Dac a topping d90 hooked up to my blue sound so I can still use the streaming capabilities and then have the Freya + in the chain then going to my poweramp ideally that's the setup I want! The dac in the topping d90 is truly outstanding and I think sounding a lot better then dax going for like two thousand plus imo it's really good !!
Hi Thomas - in Andrew Robinson's review he mentioned the Billie gave off a hiss. Would you know if the hiss is from the amp section or pre-amp section?
Well, it depends does he mean tube hiss or class D amp hiss. Only way for me to know is to plug an external power amp to it to check but i don't have a Billie amp here. Yes, I remember there is hiss but you have to be close enough and with a sensitive speaker too.
It depends on your current speakers. If you have difficult to drive speakers and your amp is not powerful enough, in this case, changing the amp will have a bigger impact.
@@sergev9043 If you are planning to get a preamp and willing to pay this kind of price, wait for my Doge 8 video. This Billie preamp is good enough but not better.
I was selling high end audio when you were born, Mr. Thomas. And this is WRONG. Just wrong. ANY component that sounds good on some music genres, but not others is FLAWED! And should not be considered a good product. Good amps just play the signal fed to it honestly. Which CD player transport for Doom Metal? Which cables for drum marching band ? Does NOT make sense.
I am in the camp that whatever moves you is consider good. I personally don't force onto others what I consider good as their good. We all have different taste. Some like color in their system while other like their system to be neutral. Some have limited budget while others have unlimited. To find a system that sounds good with all kind of music, sure it is possible, but not necessary for everyone. Not everyone wants jack of all trades, some wants specialize systems that are master at some stuff. By the way, just because a chef has 40 years of experiences does not automatically make him a good chef.
@@ThomasAndStereo Great points. I respect your opinion. When you speak of color in a system, I think of the 80s and 90s. Good hifi salesmen knew everything was basically a tone control then. Blending colors (warm/analytical) to get to a more neutral overall sound was sheer necessity then, unless you were very wealthy. Today, even sub $1000 equipment is often very close to neutral. It should be easy to find equipment that does not have compromises, and at reasonable prices too. But choice IS the spice of life! Thank you for replying. I just subscribed.
I have looked at it and even if I don't know much about sound it looks like something jack built with two tubes sticking out of the case it is a brain dead design I don't need to know how it sounds it looks stupid that is my oplnion
A quick note about comments I get regarding giant killer. That is only true If you use it as a preamp.
If you use it as the way it is, it performs solidly at its price level but not a giant killer.
Cost of running a business
www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/1348949-philharmonic-audio-dennis-murphy-279.html#post57933376
I was wondering what happened to Philharmonic this is sad news and the reason why those speakers were way underpriced too....
Yeah, I really wish more people understand what it really takes to run a business before making comments that hurt other people's businesses.
Thomas! Patiently and really anxiously waiting for the sopras video lol.
@@ThomasAndStereo I can relate I am a businessman too
@@pokerbarloahavia Yeah, anyone who ran a business will easily understand the challenges.
Waiting for your denfrips review patiently!!!!
A great follow up to your interview with Itai. You provide useful information on how you match equipment to your listening preferences. I hope Itai has continued success designing and building excellent audio equipment in Canada.
I love watching your videos! I was just re watching the Buchardt s300 mk2 review. I really enjoy the Musical Paradise MP-D1 MK3 Dac that you reviewed and bought. Thank you Thomas!
Thanks for the encouragement. Keeps me going.
Good to have you back Thomas. Great review. I will give it great consideration as it is the third gear to have blown you away. It is a first class recommendation.
Thanks but do keep in mind that only when you use it as a preamp that it is a 'giant killer'
Great help on this one bud. Cause I was asking u about vocals! 👌
Thomas, first off I want to thank you for the hard work/time in putting together these great reviews, your honest takes and sincerity in your delivery. You, The Next Big Thing and Zero Fidelity are my go-to channels. You all have one thing in common: you aren't trying to sell people in what the should listen to, so thank you!
After a lot of research I've decided to pull-the-trigger on the S400's, took months to decide. Now is time to buy its lifelong partner: the integrated amp. This decision is harder for me because I don't know integrated amps well. I'm going to be pairing the S400's with an integrated that is $2k or less. I honestly thought about the soon-to-be released A500's but am a little hesitant because the electronics are inside the speaker with only a 2 year warranty. Plus having an external integrated amp I could always test out new speakers.
So, I was hoping you have a recommendation or two. This Billie is in the running, great review! Also, thinking Dayens Menuetto, Parasound A23+, Schiit Ragnorak? I listen to music/tv 70/30. Just want two speakers and an integrated amp, may add a Rel sub later on.
I want to buy once and cry once, if you know what I mean.
Again, thank you from a neophite audiophile.
Thanks, I personally like the S400 with class AB amps. I have never tried it with this Billie but I think you need power to drive those S400 with its seal design.
Thanks Thomas for a very good review. Greetings!
Yet another excellent video Thomas! Starting to wish I had someone like you living in my area LOL 😊
That was an awesome review good sir. Maybe the Denafrips Ares II vs Musical Paradise DAC next please ? :)
That comparison is what I'm awaiting for. Thomas really has his way to describe these things. Second only to listening to the gear
@@ranelime yes sir, me too. I don't want to purchase a DAC without hearing Thomas's opinion.
Soon, the comparison is really easy since they sound so different.
Hi Thomas,
I know you're a big proponent for the Schiit Freya and I concur with your observations! Perhaps to save the curious minds of those that wonders about the more recent Freya+, it outright trounces the former especially with the Shuguang Black Treasure CV181-Z tubes. The lower noise floor alone is worth the upgrade. I'll be very curious if the Billie Amp would be able to match up to the performance that the Freya+ offers. Please do something to bring the prominence of the Freya+ to the masses because high-fidelity audio shouldn't be reserved for the well-heeled only. Thanks.
I use the Black Treasure CV181 in my Schiit Saga and the performance upgrade even over NOS 6SN7 was shocking....anyone using a Freya or Saga owes it to themselves to try these tubes...
Nice, I do have Black cv181z tubes too, just never tried it with the Freya. I really like my Freya and if Schiit send me a freya+, I will definitely review it.
Awesome video my friend that's why I put my expectations low for the kantas u could now have said it better
The hand drum instrument is called a bodhran (pronounced bowrawn). Its from traditional Irish music.
Thanks! was hoping someone would clarify it.
You're right!
I remember it from my Dublin years. It was quite common to see one of these being played among other instruments into Irish pubs.
Great memories!
Sounds like H11 should make a stand alone preamp! The drum is a Bodhran btw.
Interesting.Would like to have the Freya+,Vidar,Mani,Magni ($1930?) vs the Billie at $1450.Tough choice because you can add $100 for Schiit Aegir and get 20 watts or stick with Vidar and get 100 wpc.But Billie looks great for most people and iff 60 wpc will do it for you a terrific bargain.Looks/ergonomics are killer to boot.Man I wish they's allow for a mono operation and an add on amp
Well don't forget to add a bluetooth device to the schiit stack! The Schiit combo you mentioned at higher price would have a more muscular sound, slight v curve that most people like.
i would like to see a updated review on the latest version
I have made a video on it already mk2.
Great review thank you.
You handled the tubes so well Thomas!
Hehe, I should have used gloves but too lazy.😁
Thomas & Stereo It was the shaking to remove them from the box that made me cringe. Treat your tubes like they were eggs , very gently. Nice review, thanks Thomas.
Thomas I know youre going to pitch those JJ's for some nice NOS and your going to like it even more..... Kinda like that Schitt Freya experience you had
Would love to see a preamp stand alone version from these guys! Definitely buy one! A lot of the amp charictaistcs do sound like an Icepower module.
That would be cool! I will be first in line.
Another good review Thomas. You could have titled this review "giant killer" because your analysis says as much. I too love it when my expectations are exceeded.
Thanks, that is only true for the preamp section. Meaning when I use it as a preamp. In it's native form, it is a good integrated amp but not a giant killer.
Great vid!
Another informative and great review. Interesting amp too, both for its promising sound, all in one solution as for its design! Maybe interesting for you to get hands on the Xtonebox Silver 6011 hand made in Spain. A different outer design but also an all in one solution. Class D with tubes(4x) pre amp, bluethooth and lossless bass & treble tone controls. Both are in the same price range too. Curious about the difference between both of these amps.
Have mine paired with Tekton M-Lores. It is a wonderful combination.
Excellent video Thomas! Can you please make a video of your room setup? I mean dimensions, acoustics, drywall panels, diffusers, etc. Thank you!
Thanks, eventually I will.
Oooo this amp is tantalizing. Have you tried tube rolling on this one?
Hi
Thank you for what you do.
How about comparison with Rouge Sphinx 3.
Same idea front tube class D amp.
Thank you
OG
Nice review Thomas , lol my first ? On your first billie amp video was do they make just a pre-amp lol.
I mix match all my amps integrated amps and amps new and Vintage Check this out Thomas IOTA SA3 as a Pre/ Sansui G-8000 as power amp yes the Sansui has a switch for amp only Mode 😆 ohh yeah Vintage with a REMOTE LOL
P.S. EMOTIVA STACK REVIEW coming soon spent alot of time with Emo , very impressed with price tag And Horn loaded speakers 😆 on 4th set of speakers tonight !
Airmotiv T2+?
Nice, seems like you are having a lot of fun. Emotiva is one of those brands that you get a lot for what you paid for.
2Cellos! Love that video.......
Dear Thomas, I thoroughly enjoy your videos. Can the Billie Amp adequately drive my Magnepan 1.7i ? Thanks.
Hi Thomas thanks for the review. How would the holographic character compare to your impressions with the Musical Paradise integrated?
I own a Moon i-3 integrated amp and their CD-1 with KLH Model 5 speakers. I am considering adding a streamer and might add a DAC at some point to replace the one in the CD-1 that only services it. What would your impression be of a Billy m2 vs the Moon i-3? I am open my mind to a person like you who appreciates nuances. I was a professional singer for many years.
If you get a chance, ask these companies why they don’t add sub filter switches
I don't know what is sub filter switch but it has preout that you can connect to your subs. Just need to set the crossover at your sub.
Most audiophiles don’t want the filtering and it’s not easy to implement or pull off in the analog domain. An AV receiver can do a good job of bass management, as it’s done in the digital domain through DSP.
Sean B sub filtering is done very easily in the analog domain. Both Crown and QSC pro amps do it very well at reasonable pricing. They have done it in class ab as well as class d. My older B&K pt series preamp / stereo receiver I use for HT has a low pass sub output. Low pass outputs just don't seem to be in enough demand for most companies to bother with.
I find that it’s the car audio folks that really ask for it. Car audio deals with much higher crossover points, making high pass filtering pretty essential
If you play a turntable and have deep bass you can get a feedback loop through the turntable that goes out of control and makes the mid woofer on your speaker go crazy until you turn it down. Back in the day vintage preamps and Recievers ( like pioneer SX1250) had a button called “ low frequency filter” that would block bass below 35 hertz. This allows you to play as loud as you want without feedback. It’s super convenient and I won’t even use a preamp without one. Some phono preamp have them and the super high end Yamaha 5000 Reciever has it.
Hi Thomas! Thanks for awesome videos! Always immediate watch when you release new videos! I have buchardt s300. Do you think Iotavx sa3 would match that set well? Music 40%, console gaming 40% and tv/movies 20%. I like bass heavy music, but my room is relatively small and speakers close to wall so I dont need too warm amp imo as S300 have plenty of bass out of box. So maybe that U-curve of sa3 could be sufficient in my case? Do you think there is better alternative for me in sub 1000e? This billie amp was interesting but out of price bracket as there will be customs etc to Finland. And lack of remote..
I think SA3 combo with the PA3 will work well for you. I never tried it but Sean at Zero fidelity seem to think so. You have free return so give it a try, you probably have to pay a bit but nothing beats home trial.
I would love to see a Schiit Freya+ review.
Yeah I did a Schutt Freya first gen review, not the plus.
@@ThomasAndStereo I loved that review, bought a Freya+ partly based on it! But I understand the + is better than the original. And the discontinued Freya S may have been the best of them...
@@ThomasAndStereo great review as always, how would you compare Billie amp to schiit freya? What would be the difference? Just the Billie amp preamp section of cos.. thanks!
Hey Thomas.
Thanks for a nice review. Am always somewhat puzzled at what to take away from a review. I know it’s a really tough job, you want to be honest while not being too negative as that’s bad karma and after all as several have said there isn’t really bad gear out there those days. What would be really helpful is to know if, post the review, you have kept listening to it just because you like it and not because you have to prepare a review. Have you? If you had CA$1600 for an integrated amp for you main system, would you buy this? Let’s assume we listen to the same kind of music
I stopped using my audio research after I discovered how amazing of a preamp this is. I only used it as a preamp and used it until the day I had to return it.
Would I buy it for myself as an integrated amp? No, I need more than 50w to drive the dozens of speakers I test each year. I almost bought it just for the preamp but stopped myself because of Coronavirus. I know the economy is tanking and I don't want to spend money on things unless I absolute need unless it is not too expensive.
Borderpatrol SEi DAC is my fav
I was afraid you would drop the tubes.
"Caveats"? You spend to much time with Sean.
Kt66 tubes should work well think they are the best can you fit them Direct or not I mean does it need to be rewired for them there's no switching a search on the amplifier
You can touch tubes it won't do them any harm. Probably not looking at the distance between the tubes interested something tries it.
Interesting if you try the preamp section with the iota Poweramp! Bridged and unbridged still like to know what that combination would be like theoretically it should work very well. Can you try it out for us when you get a chance let us know what you think Thomas!
Thanks John. Sadly I have returned the amp to the owner.
this is the third time in months I'm watching this video... now, I have a naive question... could anyone give me an idea how this beauty would sound with Triangle Comète Ez... thanks
I enjoy your reviews. You have excellent relevant components up for review and your opinions I've found to be very similar to how I feel about a lot of the pieces. However, I cant explain how annoying your lighting constantly changing is in this video :-)
Hey Thomas, great review. so using a power amp improves overall performance? not just your favored "vocal" tracks?
Yes, it will improve it big time.
I understand rolled off treble, where you can’t hear highs or lows past a curtain point. Is rounded treble when the highs have been softened, so they aren’t as sharp/bright?
It is not as sharp so there is no listening fatigue but you can hear everything easily still
Bright room acoustics might also exacerbate treble brightness problems.
What are some amps and speakers that are voiced with more of a V Shaped curve?
Hi Thomas. I am looking at possibly adding a power amp in combination with my Billie amp (which I enjoy immensely). I was just wondering if you had any issues matching up an amp with the signals coming out the pre-outs on the Billie amp. Thank you.
Hey did you ever add a power amp to the billie thoughts? I was thinking that same but wondering what it dose sound wise as my speakers are already 95db so billie power should be enough but I wonder what a power amp dose
Whoa. Can we fast backwards for a minute? When did you review the Creek amp? I somehow missed that one. Also, my biggest complaint regarding female vocals is ssssibilance. What amp do you feel minimizes that annoyance the best. Of what you've auditioned.
I never reviewed the Creek, it is a very good integrated amp. I have to think about which Amp was good for that while maintaining good detail.
@@ThomasAndStereo Thank you. I'm the market. And am also very, very price conscious.
Clifford Costley I have experienced sibilance with vinyl but never an issue for me with cd's. In my experience this would most likely be source related. I really can't imagine any decent amp introducing sibilance. If it is a speaker related issue then no amp in the world will solve the problem. If you can hook up a good set of headphones to your source and the ssss's persist then I would suspect the source. One time it was my stylus causing it. It took a magnifier to see the accumulated crud on the back of the stylus,. A good cleaning restored it. Always worth cleaning all your cable connectors with a good electronics cleaner to ensure good connections. Good luck and hope you resolve it.
Dang. Wish I hadn’t seen this. I just bought a Cambridge audio amp cax61.
I am thinking this would be a better amp for my Elac debuts.
What do you think?
Nah, don't worry too much about it, the Cambridge is an excellent amp.
I can not hear the drum that the girl is playing in the "with or without you video. Could be my old ears or my inexpensive listening system. I'd like to hear it in FLAC to see if I could hear it. My thought is my system is not up to the task.
No, you can hear it in any system. Here is the link to the whole video
ua-cam.com/video/k3n5s-M4Ov4/v-deo.html&start_radio=1
What Class D chip does the Billy use? TI? Ice Power?
yeah it's ICE power, a lot of the specs are on the site.
Any idea how this compares to the Rogue Audio SPHINX V3? Seems like a similar concept at a similar price point.
No, I have never heard it. Sorry.
Hi Thomas,
Would you go for the Billie or instead a Schiit Freya tube preamp + XTZ Edge A2-300 class D amp to get the best sound ? Or maybe Billie + XTZ ???
Thanks a lot for all your reviews. Math.
I think if you want more fireworks, Freya + XTZ.
You want neutral, Billie Amp.
You want to experience high end sound, Billie + High end amp.
Excellent ! And in this case this high end power amp would be ? Or maybe 2 XTZ used in monoblock configuration ?
Thank you so much.
Caviars?😝 I don't want fish eggs in my amp lol. Sounds like those Kickstarter supporters got a hell of a deal. (Though it still seems like a good value at the regular price.) But why did you have three of them?
When I interviewed Itai, he brought over 2special edition to show me. The 3rd one was my review sample at the time. Yeah those Kickstarter got the deal of the century.
But with only 2 vacuum tubes sticking out like acne on a teenagers face how is this possibly going to match to say any amp with lines of tubes like a Mclntosh 275 ?
If you have a McIntosh 275, you should buy a preamp of that caliber!
What happened to the Focal Sopra review?
It is coming. Still recovering from surgery.
Thomas do you sell any of these products especially the Billie integrated amp?
That one I returned it after the review. I almost bought it.
Review the monolith monoprice Poweramp 2x200 watt amp plzzz it's amazing good sounding better imo then some 3000$ amps
Sure, if they send me!
@@ThomasAndStereo I just heard you say you didn't review the schiit Freya + but in your video it is the + because if you look at their website the other Freya don't have 4 tubes ? So I'm confused cause to me that's the Freya + you reviewed no?
I have a question in relation to the monoprice power amplifier if you are able to look it up online and see the specs am I able to bi amp this unit ?
Someone told me you can't on this model but I feel like you can !
I'm also curious Thomas because they say it's 200 watt two-channel and the power amp monoprice that I have is a 5 Channel power amp I have a pair of focal Aria 948 tower speakers however it's only two a positive And a negative on each speaker they don't have a dual binding...
I was thinking if I would go to Amazon and buy some blue jeans speaker they have one that's for bi wiring 1 and has two cables and the other end has 4
If I bought two of these cables and I plugged him into each of my focals using the the 2 ended part going into my speakers like normalwhen I get better sound quality plugging the other end that are for 4 into my power amp so therefore using two channels for one speaker and another two channels going to the right speaker will I then be getting about 400 watt a channel? Opposed to me just running each speaker only connected to one channel ? Hope you can understand my question! What do you think ? Will it sound better using 2 channels for each speaker with them cables ? Thx
@@newton5954 The first freya looks exactly like the freya+. You cannot bi amp or bi word focal speakers. The way you described how you want to connect your amp, you will most likely fry your amp.
@@ThomasAndStereo I was just trying to figure out how I can get more power out of my power amp which is 5 channels at 200 watt two-channel by using those cables taking two channels and putting it to one speaker and doing the same for the other speaker I thought maybe that would give me an extra 200 watt!
As for the freya but I was looking on the website and I don't see the one you're talking about the only one that looks like the one you have in your video with four tubes is the Freya + are you able to send me the link if I'm just not seeing it.
I really want to consider buying the Freya but I know that you said it sound really really good and sounding a lot better than more or less preamps twice the cost of it this unit!! You did blind test comparison and you were blown away how amazing this sounds! But why did you not do the Freya + ? What is the difference between the model you did compared to that one? Do you think the Freya + would sound better and have better specs ? I do appreciate you taking time to get back to me I'm a big fan of your channel...
I'm just looking to get better sound out of my stereo without breaking the bank I have a bluesound node 2i directly going to my Poweramp currently that's it I've been using the streaming tidal to play my songs plus I have a USB drive plugged into the back with 24-bit flac songs!!
I just don't know what to do to get better sound quality some people say a preamp in the chain makes it sound way better some people just like going direct ? I don't know for example I did try the schiit saga s preamp and I got to be honest I did not hear much of an improvement in sound quality using that over the bluesound preamp going direct!! So I sold it maybe it wasn't good enough maybe it's too cheap that model? I dunno so do you think there is a big difference going to the Freya + ? I was also at some point going to include a better Dac a topping d90 hooked up to my blue sound so I can still use the streaming capabilities and then have the Freya + in the chain then going to my poweramp ideally that's the setup I want! The dac in the topping d90 is truly outstanding and I think sounding a lot better then dax going for like two thousand plus imo it's really good !!
Can you look into the Benchmark AHB2 as a poweramp?
If they send me.
I second that.Got best scores ever at Audio Science Review.100 wpc stereo 380 mono
Hi Thomas - in Andrew Robinson's review he mentioned the Billie gave off a hiss. Would you know if the hiss is from the amp section or pre-amp section?
Well, it depends does he mean tube hiss or class D amp hiss. Only way for me to know is to plug an external power amp to it to check but i don't have a Billie amp here. Yes, I remember there is hiss but you have to be close enough and with a sensitive speaker too.
@@ThomasAndStereo I ordered one, so I'll give a try when it arrives. It looks beautiful - I hope the sound is just as good as it looks.
@@User_not_found_403 If you have a separate power amp, try plugging this in and only used the preamp too.
@@ThomasAndStereo Thanks Thomas, I'll do that.
Thomas did you hook up the REL with speaker level or line level?
I tried both.
hi Thomas
i want to ask you which one have more impact to the sound
is it the amp or preamp of dac ??
It depends on your current speakers. If you have difficult to drive speakers and your amp is not powerful enough, in this case, changing the amp will have a bigger impact.
How much would someone have to spend on a DAC to make it sound better?
I would say $1k+. I am not sure cause the DAC I used was $3k+. The Denafrips was better actually but not a big big jump.
Do you find tube pre + classD amp to be a good match in general?
Yup, in my DIY class D amp video, I mentioned that it is a must.
Since this is a class D amp (ICE) which one sounds good to you, this or the XTZ Edge amp which also uses class D (ICE)? Thanks.
The XTZ sounds better for the amp section. Keep in mind this is an integrated amp and it has an amazing preamp.
Thomas & Stereo ☺️
@@ThomasAndStereo What did you not like about billi amp ?
Thomas, is that the Denafrips Ares II I see to your right? You traveled a long way to get it, I think some want to hear your opinion. Soon?
Yup I will be reviewing it.
How’s the creek amp u have behind you?
Fantastic. I wish it was more current because that integrated amp is a solid recommend.
At six minutes nineteen seconds you said "Alright so let's talk about the caviars..." I think you meant "caveats."
Lol. Yes yes
Is it more holographic than the Freya?
I don't think so, at least based on my memory. Need to AN rest to be sure.
I would love to see an ab test with the Freya + Thomas, you convinced me to get one of the two.
It’s a Billy Bad Ass
Better than ModWright LS100?
Ls100 is a preamp and this is an integrated.
@@ThomasAndStereo I mean as a preamp of cause )
@@sergev9043 If you are planning to get a preamp and willing to pay this kind of price, wait for my Doge 8 video. This Billie preamp is good enough but not better.
@@ThomasAndStereo I'm thinking about LS100 or Rogue RP-5 or 7. Will look forward to the review of the Doge 8. Thank you Thomas!
What does he mean when he says zoo @ 10:05
Zu audio speakers
@@ThomasAndStereo So would this amp would be a good match for the Zu Dirty Weekends?
Thomas spend the $100 to get a nicer pc case such as the Silverstone Grandia series.
I was looking into Silverstone actually. but I was thinking a mini pc too.
"caviars" should be "caveats" :)
Yup yup!
“A little bit thin”.
Meh. Next…
I was selling high end audio when you were born, Mr. Thomas. And this is WRONG. Just wrong. ANY component that sounds good on some music genres, but not others is FLAWED! And should not be considered a good product. Good amps just play the signal fed to it honestly.
Which CD player transport for Doom Metal? Which cables for drum marching band ? Does NOT make sense.
I am in the camp that whatever moves you is consider good. I personally don't force onto others what I consider good as their good. We all have different taste. Some like color in their system while other like their system to be neutral. Some have limited budget while others have unlimited. To find a system that sounds good with all kind of music, sure it is possible, but not necessary for everyone. Not everyone wants jack of all trades, some wants specialize systems that are master at some stuff. By the way, just because a chef has 40 years of experiences does not automatically make him a good chef.
@@ThomasAndStereo Great points. I respect your opinion. When you speak of color in a system, I think of the 80s and 90s. Good hifi salesmen knew everything was basically a tone control then. Blending colors (warm/analytical) to get to a more neutral overall sound was sheer necessity then, unless you were very wealthy.
Today, even sub $1000 equipment is often very close to neutral. It should be easy to find equipment that does not have compromises, and at reasonable prices too. But choice IS the spice of life!
Thank you for replying. I just subscribed.
@@cdgee6399 Thank you, really appreciate you approaching this discussion with respect.
swap the tubes .jj are junk compared to vintage you can't go wrong
I have looked at it and even if I don't know much about sound it looks like something jack built with two tubes sticking out of the case it is a brain dead design I don't need to know how it sounds it looks stupid that is my oplnion