Hi-Fi Audio: Capturing the Heart & Soul of Music with Heaven 11's Itai Azerad

Hi-Fi Audio: Capturing the Heart & Soul of Music with Heaven 11's Itai Azerad

Author: BLISTER March 19, 2025 Duration: 1:03:41

There are more ways to listen to music than ever these days, and cheap Bluetooth speakers are everywhere: hanging in your shower, sitting on your kitchen counter, and on tailgates at football games. Unfortunately, these kinds of speakers often cultivate an experience where the music very much takes a backseat to whatever else we're doing. 


In today's conversation, Heaven 11 Audio’s Itai Azerad offers a different perspective, one that puts a premium on really listening to music and feeling an emotional connection to it — and his company Heaven 11 Audio produces amplifiers to do exactly that. Their Billie amp blends old-school vacuum tubes with cutting-edge class D amplifier technology to capture the heart and soul of music, and with a stunning industrial design, it invites you to just listen to the music, and nothing else. Itai also talks about his inspiration to start an audio company, his unconventional path in industrial design, vacuum tubes, circuit boards, wooden knobs, and a whole lot more.

RELATED LINKS:

Check out the Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

Heaven 11 Audio

TOPICS & TIMES:

Bauhaus (2:45)

Itai’s Audio Journey (5:22)

Music is a Ritual & the Stereo is the Shrine (8:38)

Starting a HiFi Company (10:22)

The Billie Amp (12:34)

Why use Vacuum Tubes (14:04)

Why use a Class D Amplifier (16:55)

Chasing Perfect (31:38)

Beautiful Design is as Important as Sound (38:12)

The New MK3 Billie Amp (40:47)

Music Matters (43:00)

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast


 




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


There's a particular kind of conversation that happens when someone has dedicated their life to making something tangible, driven by obsession over details most of us overlook. CRAFTED, from BLISTER, is built on those conversations. Each episode moves beyond a simple product review to explore the entire ecosystem of creation, whether the subject is a meticulously roasted coffee, a complex whiskey, a precision timepiece, or a bold new wine. You'll hear directly from the individuals who define these fields-brewers, distillers, founders, and artisans who started their ventures not because it was easy, but because they couldn't imagine doing anything else. This podcast digs into the raw materials, the failed experiments, the business risks taken on a principle, and the quiet triumphs that happen long before a product reaches a shelf. It’s about the philosophy embedded in the process as much as the technical skill. Tuning in feels less like listening to an interview and more like pulling up a stool in a workshop or a tasting room, offering an intimate look at the patience, setbacks, and unwavering standards that transform a simple idea into a crafted object. The stories are specific, but the themes of creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit are universal, connecting anyone who appreciates the depth behind a well-made thing.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

CRAFTED
Podcast Episodes
The Vinyl Revival, Records, & Turntables w/ Michael Fremer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:27
In this episode, we get a crash course on the vinyl revival and why spinning records on a turntable is a more engaging way of listening to music. Our guest, Michael Fremer, is regarded as one of the premier experts in th…
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa on Pizza Making & Big-Mountain Skiing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:15
One of the greatest big-mountain skiers of all time is also seriously passionate about making great pizza. So what’s the story here, and what do pizza and skiing have in common? What has Sage learned about the art of mak…
La Marzocco Product Designer, Stefano Della Pietra [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:46
La Marzocco is the most iconic espresso-machine maker in the world, and last month, Jonathan went to the La Marzocco Accademia to talk with their head product designer, Stefano Della Pietra, about the history and core pr…
Coffee Gear, Pt. 4: “Hero Espresso” & Jonathan’s Current Setup [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27:29
After much deliberation, we’re revealing the machine that Jonathan ended up going with on his quest to create daily doses of “hero espresso” — a phrase coined at the end of this conversation. Simon Stewart joins Jonathan…
Cast-Iron Cookware w/ Blister reviewer, Simon Stewart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:01
Today we are discussing a product that people get very passionate about — and even more opinionated about: cast-iron cookware. Jonathan is joined by Blister senior bike editor, Simon Stewart, who has been using cast-iron…
Our Reviewers’ 2023 Craft Obsessions & 2024 Curiosities [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:31
To wrap up the year, we are sharing the craft categories that most captivated our Blister reviewers in 2023, and some of the categories they are most curious about heading into 2024. This is a fun one, and it certainly f…
Shaking Up the Wine World: Revelshine founder, Jake Bilbro [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:47
Over 30 billion bottles of wine are consumed each year around the world, and today, we’re talking about why we need to — and can — move away from ‘business as usual’ in the wine world. Our guest is Revelshine founder, Ja…