Watching an episode of Thomas is never a waste of time.

You are the very definition of patience, Thomas.

Your previous video was very clear. I’ll never understand why some people appear to be committed to misunderstanding or misrepresenting others.

Thank you for adding the tubes types you used in your review

Another great vid. Very clear & concise presentation.. You included the pros and cons of this unit & what vacuum tubes would pair well with this hybrid Amp. Thanks for all your great work. I really enjoy them & review many of them for reference purposes.

Your videos are always informative and well carried out. Keep up the good work. I would love to hear this amp in my system.

I have learned much and truly enjoy your videos Thomas. Much Appreciation Sir.

I liked your previous episode. I liked this one. You were clear in both. Continue with your great work.

Thomas,your videos are never a waste of time for me. Even when the product is out of my price range or not of interest to me. I still find your videos to be entertaining and educational.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first review, and respect you for coming back and doing this one. Hard to believe that anyone would have misunderstood the first one, but like you said, they may have clicked off early, not catching your dry sense of humor..again..mad respect!

This was 17 minutes I'll never get back, but I DON'T WANT IT BACK, because this was highly entertaining and educational! Well done Tom! You've done it again! Booya! 9.8/10

Great content as always and the extra detail about the preamp versatility was helpful in the decision to purchase 👍

Always down to earth, honest and thinking of your audience though agree with others on no apology needed. You clearly take pride in your craft. A gentleman utuber can always express their views without being a jerk and you sir do that all the time. Appreciate the review.

The saying goes, time we'll wasted. I'm glad you did do a review on this amp. I have seen Steve Huff's review and was hoping that you especially was going to one as well. I enjoy both you guys as reviewers.

Great review on the Billie mk2 hybrid. I own a rogue Sphinx v2 which is class D and tubes 12AU7 on the preamp side, and wow what a terrific sound on all genres. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Billie, I’ll have to check it out someday.

I think this is a great all in one type solution...I absolutely love my VTV ET400A with input tube Buffers...to me Bruno Putseys nailed it with his Purifi modules...paired with a Schitt Freya+ preamp that I tube rolled to my taste and an R2R musical DAC from Ladder Schumann my Totem Acoustic Tribe speakers have never been so sonically spot on for me...thanks Thomas for enlightening your audience to the incredible benefits to Class D when paired with the appropriate balanced preamps and DACs.

Great looking amp! .. I like the details! I'll have to pick your brain in a few more days =)

I enjoyed your use of the term, 'glare' to define the Class D power amp sound. A perfect single word summary. Well done. Thank you Thomas.

I didn't follow the comments so will not judge these. According to me, you were very clear. I was so captured that I searched for other reviews about the heaven11. It is a bit salty - taxes and shipping to Europe are quite an extra cost for me, but I am putting it on my list. You convinced me to get tubes in my chain. At the moment I am enjoying a Feliks Audio Echo mk2, as an OTL amp and pre-amp - I do headphones and wanted an OTL. But the heaven11 is very captivating piece of art to me, due to you (:-)

This amp seems really interesting. I'm glad to hear it has other knob options cause that is all I see when I look at it.

I enjoyed both videos this one and the previous one. Hard to pick a color though, silver or black both looked elegant.

Everytime you film in this room of your home, I can't help but keep smiling at the child in the photograph on the wall, lol. What a great picture 😁

THANKS AGAIN 🙏WE HOPE PEOPLE WILL LISTEN 👂 MORE CAREFULLY THIS TIME…but we won’t get our hopes up ⬆️ too much 😁💚💚💚

Great review. I somehow missed this review when it came out but found it after watching the audiophiliac's rave review. The amp sounds very attractive to me. Great that it has preamp outs for future flexibility. Not too expensive and made in Canada. Looks fantastic. I don't think the 90% keeper rate is all that important to me. I returned a pair of zu audio dirty weekends which supposedly have a 95% keeper rate. I like what I like.

I find this to be one of the most interesting amps to me. No major hi-tech rodeo. Just what I think I need. Thank you.

I love your videos.

I'm using Elekit tube pre to pair with an Aiyima A8pro Class D and the combo is perfect match!!!

Thank you for your reply to my question, on your last video about the F18 Lii Song. You described how strong the bass was, but I couldn't get the last part, as this video was deleted. I would greatly appreciate the rest of your thoughts on the F18, and how it compares to the Liionidas OB speakers.

I thought the first review was a great one. I even commented on it. I'm not sure why you took it down. You described the amp perfectly.

This makes sense to me. I have tried incorporating 3 different budget Class D amps (Fosi, Aiyana, etc.) into a small desktop setup (iFi Zen preamp->amp->Klipsch R-51M). That combo has resulted in a very harsh and rough experience. The warmth of the tube pre-amp would help tone down the Class D experience. Thanks for posting this.

the subs all have class d, great for bass.amazing how much the front end tube brands affect the sound in this unit and generally.

Hey.. I was at the Montreal show and saw everything. I spent some time with Itai. I was quite impressed with this unit. It was my first time hearing the Buchard’s. Great guy and I’m thinking of buying one. Also I was super impressed with the new Matin Logan series…. Everything else I felt was bla bla bla….😊

I don’t need another amp, but if I did the Billie would be ordered already. Good price, great sound!

" . . . . old man friendly"! Damn, I'm sold! I have to say, the more I listen to you talk about the combo of class D and tubes, the more I want to hear it. If only my wallet was fuller! . . . . but even then I'd have to overcome the pleasure I get from my Musical Paradise MP-301! It just gives soooo much for such a ridiculous price! Anyway, as someone else stated in their comment, I always enjoy your reviews and feel like I learn so much from just watching them, even if I can't afford or don't necessarily want to get something new. By the way, I can't help but notice the Musical Paradise components that I've seen sitting within the setups of your audio friends!

been using x10d + linn akurate with Maggie's for years... even if many were thrashing class D. in my setup, it's brawn and sparkles!

I have the Class D XTZ Edge A2-400 and pair it with the Denafrips Hades preamp and the Schiit Freya S with the Ares II and KLH Model 5 speakers. It sounds fantastic in my room. I also have the Denafrips Thallo amp in the mix. I like the sound of the Class D with the Ares II and Cayin RU6. I just ordered the Venus II 12th from Alvin, it should be here in a few days. I would really like to try this out as a preamp, not interested in its internal DAC.

Very clear and detailed presentation, thanks! What I still wonder about is, if you have hungry electric current speakers, how is the amp then dealing with this?

Yup…so many ways to get synergy with tubes and solid state…. I am running a "supercharged" Schiit Freya+ (I soldered in all-new audiophile capacitors and resistors into the Tube Stage), with a McIntosh MC152 Solid State Power Amp (not Class D, tho). I am loving the combo.

Love your videos Thomas. I've been thinking of the Unico Primo or Nuovo and was wondering if you had any thoughts on yheir resoective sound qualities compared to the Billie Mk2? Keep thos videos coming...

I thought the original made your feeling about it very clear. I've been waiting for this time for best part of a decade and now Class D has finally revealed its possibilities.

A very good and helpful review. Does the amp still have decent attack in high end or do tubes soften the sound and exaggerate decay/ lush feel. I'll be first to admit I'm not experienced much with tubes. I tend to gravitate to a sound the closet duplicates a singer or musician sing or playing in my listening room. Nervous about the tubes offering too much decay/extension on notes. Your review explains the sound well and I'm considering pairing it with my dynaudio special 40s.

That’s right Tom no gloves these glass valve’s aren’t xenon car bulbs, so it won’t be a problem handling them with clean fingers

Thanks for the review. I bought one based on your review and based on my experience using an Elekit TU-8500 tube preamp with a Hypex NC502MP Class D power amp. So far, I am a bit underwhelmed with the Billie compared to the Elekit/Hypex combo. Speaking of Elekit, the Billie's design resembles the discontinued Elekit EKF-01, though the latter suffered from low power output.

I use a Schitt Freya+ and NuPrime ST-10Ms class D monoblocks and love the combo.

Enjoy your videos and your point of view. PS Audio uses tubes and class D as well. Innovation is where it is at and class A, AB is far from being dead.

I watched your last Billie amp video Thomas and totally understood it. Your video made me want to buy the Billie amp EXCEPT I need more power to drive my speakers. I’m hoping the next Billie amp will be even better and have much more power next time. My Gershmans are very hard to drive properly. But I would Love to buy a great CANADIAN hybrid amp. Either that or you can build a new 150 watt full tube amp, the Unicorn 150. Anyway, just keep on being honest Thomas in your reviews Thomas. That’s why most of us are here.

Outstanding review, Thomas. But then, I got it on the first review. You dont need to apologize just because some people complain. There are a lot of opinionated know it all audiophiles out there who spout their opinion as if it is actual experience. This isn't religion or politics so I wish people would stick to the facts please. I have been a class AB guy forever and have been skeptical of class D but only to the extent that some people try to rationalize its short comings. I remain hopeful that it will improve and be a great amp design. I am one of those old guys who cant lift the big stuff any more and for that reason I have a couple Mono AB amps to split the weight. I am a fan of tube preamps and solid state amps so this development in taming the negatives of class D is very welcome. This has already been done by Rogue in their Sphinx integrated with great success and acceptance. I wonder how NADs new class D amp would match with the Billie preamp? People need to chill out a bit. This is free entertainment done at some trouble on your part. Unfortunately, some audiophiles have the attention span of a bipolar humming bird on meth.

Great review Thomas thank you. Can I ask, is there a possibility that you might come out with a pre-amp version of the Galion TS120 ?

Thanks Thomas for this enlightening review. A have a few questions concerning the pre amp setup. What happens then to the power section? Is it switched off, can it be used as a stand alone power amp? And what is it with the figurines? Is this the Audio Thomas Review channel setup (derived from ASR)?😉

Because you're asking Thomas - - currently running ARC's Ref6SE ahead of Bel Canto's Ref600ms (class D monoblocks)- - driving 3.7i maggies - - - all the usual audiophile stuff is covered - especially sound staging in all directions - glorious. I guess it could be argued that the Ref6SE is a hybrid with it's JFET input transistors, but for the sake of general discussion, I think most people would agree that it's a tube preamp. I am, through my own experience, a believer in the tube front end driving class D set up - imho, it's a bargain sort of way to at least approach a taste of reference.

WHO is saying the first video was a waste? REALLY? That's hard to believe. Certainly you SHOULD watch the ENTIRE video before sounding off! If you DO you will see that Thomas presented pluses and minuses and after being a bit disappointed or not that impressed, he started swapping out the tubes and the amp WOKE up, came into its own. Chill out people. Audiophiles, jeesh, get some ice, a glass, and some bourbon and put on some tunes, THEN post your comments, maybe?

You’re very articulated. 20 minutes of zero BS.

Thank you with the review Thomas! What do you think this Billie would match like with some LS50 Meta?

Tube pre/Class D synergy is superb if Class D is done right. I have AGD Audion monoblocks. When combined with my Supratek line stage the result is incredibly satisfying. I use a few different speakers including Magnepan LRS, Tekton Encore and Klipsch Forté IIIs. I’ve never had more time spent with the sound keeping me locked in, listening to track after track. Great review. Thanks!

I have the Graham ls6 speakers 6:26 which I purchased for their lush mid range. Would adding a tube amplifier such as the Billy enhance that mid range, or would it be too much of a good thing and flatten out the sound.

Hi Thomas, would you recommend this for Ls3/5a speakers?

I have had 3 different Class D and even a Class G in the Arcam SA30, I don't have any issues with what Class an amp is labeled, as long as it sounds good in my home. I won't disregard any amp just because it says Class D or whatever on the box. My favorite Class D was the Elac Alchemy DPA-2, it seemed like it took a couple weeks to "break-in?" but I felt it was superb for the $12 or $1300 I spent on it. Ultra quiet, black background and rather warm..yes I said warm lol. I try all my amps with tubes up front but not all amps, especially Class D have a high enough input impedance to match well with some Tube Pre's. My feeling is that most amps (not all) sound better with a Tube preamp.. and not because of this warm tubey sound (which I feel is a big misconception of most tube gear) but because of the bigger soundstage and presence. It can help soften up some amps, as well as smooth out how the streamers sound. My opinion anyway.

I found a good class D amp tends to evoke more emotion out of music if the recording has a big dynamic range or a faster transient. But, for vocal focused music, class A and tube amp are still the kings of the hill. Class D is also very good for string and acoustic music (quartet, jazz, classical...), and works better with harder-to-drive speakers.

Comment at 1:05.. it looks gorgeous.. back to da video

I bought the Billie 1. It sounds great with my Philharmonic BMRs. I will be upgrading to the Mk2!

great video Thomas - I don't have any experience with tube amplification, so sorry for the rooky question: how hot does it get ? is it a drag to use it during the summer because of the temperature around it ? Thanks

Hallo my Hifi-Hero :) One fast question, I have a Maerson dac 1 and I need a digital transport(streamer) without eating noodles for 3 months :) I think that the source is realy important for the sound and I have a Bluesound Node right now. Do you have any ideas about a streamer without a dac thats sounding superb !! :)

Thomas I am curious what you observed when testing the use of both the Gustard R26 and SMSL D3 DACs, when the BIlly Mk2 already has a DAC circuitry inside?

How does the Billie MK2 stack up against the similarly priced Buchardt i150?

Hello Thomas, What power conditioner for tube amps would you recommend? Is a regenerator the best way to go?

I’m wondering if these ICEpower class D are the newer versions, I have an Amplitude 16 amp which has the ICEpower modules and they are not fatiguing at all.

Is that a MP-701 MK2 pre at Loic place? 😀. What about MP-701 vs. Billie's pre, what would be better?

Is it possible to use this amp in a home theater bypass mode? Essentially use this amp for my L/R for 2ch and HT into my processor? Thabjs

On their website, there is not a single image of the amp internals. I usually like to see what I am buying before spending money on gear. I prefer the Schiit approach: you know what you get when you pay.

Selecting the right power cord will dial in the sound as much as changing the brand of vacuum tubes. In my experience, doing both ( tube rolling and power cords) is absolutely essential to getting the best possible sound.

Thomas... What has been your favorite combo for your polk lsim 707? Most of what I've seen on the Billie amp has been pretty positive

between this and the vincent ssv237mk2 what would be best suited for lush full midrange? listen mainly to jazz, and vocal music..

I currently use the Jeff Rowland 125 power amp with the Schiit Freya+ preamp and love the combo of tubes paired with solid state

I really enjoy the mix and compromise of a tube pre and class d power amp ....as I wanted that tube space, warmth and harmonic distortion ....but not the crazy expense of rolling NOS power tubes. ... But admittedly I still would love to try a little Decware zen amp or something similar.

Well this episode won't change my mind. 🤣 As far as i am concerned nothing is as good as a full on short circuitry class A preamp, with some excellent clear clarity rhythmic and fast monoblocks in class AB, for a passive set up that is 😎 🤣 .

Thomas, I want to order the Galion TS120 SE but it is sold out. When will they be available again? Hope the price don't increase. 😱

Wondering if anyone has tried the upgraded JCC Gold Pin tubes offered by Heaven 11 and if the Phillips or other tubes mentioned are a better choice.

Hey, Thomas! Curious if you've tried the Dayton HTA200, the hybrid class AB+Tube amp. If so, how do they compare?

I wonder how this amp compares to the Rogue Audio Sphinx which is also a tube front end feeding a class D amp.

Thomas where did you get the baffles for the Lii Songs?

Nothing to say apart from in agreement about tube pre and class d. Class d also gives a chance to build a system and use class d power until being above to afford the 5k AB one..

How would you compare this to the Peachtree stack?

I have recently bought some episode 700 series bookshelf speakers. Rms on them is 130 at 6 ohms. I also have a 10in episode powered sub at 300 watts rms at .02% thd. My question is what amp do you recommend for the best performance and quality out of those speakers for a reasonable price. Not like a $3000 class a tube amp. I was looking into the Yamaha amps but they all claim they do almost the same thing. If possible can you help suggest an amp to buy and also a good daq too?

i have heard no one comment on how this would perform with Classical music which is my No.1 love. as you may know Classical music requires large dynamic swings. could this deliver? i realize that they also have a return policy but since i am in Thailand this could be problematic.

Hi Thomas, I did not see any issue with your previous video, and I still don't see that now. Basically it is a pithy that may viewers got the message wrong. Perhaps they where multi tasking. Anyway, same message, repackaged for a younger age group and the conclusions are the same. So that is a good thing. Class D is the future, becasue that is where mainstream audio brands are putting the most efforts. And that is because class D has the potential for the best profit margin. I am not trying to be cynical here. But is is not for me, becasue where I am heading is towards home build speakers with high(ish) efficiency full range drivers (Fostex, TangBand, etc). Correct me if I am wrong, but those drivers will undo all the positive contributions of a tube in a class D amp, faster than you can say: "Clinical". At this time my HiFi is vintage and I will keep it. But amp wise I want to build something with a singe ended single FET class A, output stage with about 6 to 8W RMS. (And perhaps drive that with a tube.)

I just started discovering Class A. I've put together some nice budget systems for my daughters using Class D

Hi, I bought one of these a few months back partly due to your review. Sounds great, I love it! Question: do you think this would make a passable preamp for an LSA Discovery Warp 1... at least temporarily? I plan on getting a LADDER Bach eventually.

How was the headphone amp portion of this? Did I miss your opinion on that Thomas. Thanks

Hybrids by Vincent and Rogue come to mind with this product. Would you have any thoughts about that comparisons?

could use XLR inputs, used strictly as a pre how would it compare to my Audible Illusions line stage?

Sounds fair. Missed the class d drama and cant wait for the great wave of new class d amps to flush away preconceptions

would you pair r2r dack with hybrid amp?

what is the damping factor ? thanks

Mr. Thomas, I would like to draw your attention to the lovely striking wooden knobs on front. I almost *GUARANTEE* if you had posted one of YOUR amps to your Patreons like you have before to get their opinion on the design, and you had put these knobs on it, they all collectively would have SCREAMED their disapproval! *LOUDLY!* I mean, all you wanted to do was put the catchy Galleon logo on the knob for Goodness sakes, but OH NO... Everyone said it looked SO bad (except me) Do you see where I am going with this...? As soon as I saw those striking, VERY unusual big wooden knobs on that unit, I thought of all the lovely *VERY* creative ideas you have about your amps, that are summeriry ALWAYS shot down by your Patreons as 'Too way out', 'Too weird'... See what I mean... There is no way in HELL you would have ever gotten away with that, right? And yet... Here is this design on this amp right here! And, these big knobs in my lowly opinion are WAY the hell more stark than anything you proposed for your amps. THAT my dear Mr. Thomas is precisely why I kept trying to tell you to go with what *YOU* felt looked good, and NOT to allow, I'm sorry, but not to allow the mind-numbingly BORING mainstream to dictate to you your design. As you can see, as I had stated to you before, I feel very strongly about this. Hell, I would've *LOVED* having that damn Spoked Helm in all its glory as the volume knob! This amp right here is living proof of what you can do commercially... 😊

The main man. Thomas. Thats why we watch. The personality. The confidence. Alpha male.👍

I dont care about the Amp class. Doesnt matter for me, when the Speaker or Amp Builder done it right. Ive use an CraneSong DAC that goes into an Neumann KH750 Class D (where Room Correction happens) and via XLR to my active, Class AB Unity Audio Speaker and it sound fantastic. Its all about the Room Acoustics and how you correct the speaker via DSP. Had the Neumann KH310 before wich is AB and the KH150 (Class D) and all of them are playing superb

I've access to 320kbps MP3 audio, I love music. What should be my Max budget to buy headphones. I don't wanna spend too much on it provided I don't have access to FLAC or CD quality audios. Please suggest

I like class D but in a few instances it isn't a match. I was proud to have the best class d and it worked great. Until i streched my budget and get a Dynaudio Heritage Special limited speaker. I thought is this it?? But when i used a great and powerful a/b amp on it, it opened up. Even a modest Cambridge Audio cx81 worked better on these speakers then a very expensive class d amp. I think the class d is high in watts but not in current. And that is what some diificult to drive 4 ohm speakers need.

It’s a Preamp better than Freya +?

Class D amplification combined with tube preamp of the Billie Amp MKII is a the next lever of performance.