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
Amateur Hour: Blister reviewer, Paul Forward, on Arrows [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:24
Last year on CRAFTED, we talked with Blister reviewer, Paul Forward, about the art, ethics, and craftsmanship of traditional bows (episode #8). And this is the companion conversation to that episode, about the art of mak…
Amateur Hour: Atomic's Matt Manser on Scotch (Part 3) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30:35
How do you define “consistency” — the ability to produce the exact same thing time & time again? Or producing a product that is never exactly the same, but is always of high quality? That question is at the heart of this…
Amateur Hour: Atomic's Matt Manser on Scotch (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:05
Matt Manser (Atomic Ski Boots), is back to dive into the world of Scotch and independent bottlings. He and Jonathan compare a Bunnahabhain independent bottling against their official 12-year offering; discuss a single ca…
Rum Rules: Montanya Distillers’ Karen Hoskin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:45
Today we’re discussing the rules of rum with Karen Hoskin, founder of Montanya Distillers, which produces some of the best rum in the country — right here in Crested Butte, Colorado.If you’re someone who hasn’t been all…