The Billie Amp
An integrated stereo amplifier designed for the modern music lover
NEW! Billie MK3 Modular Concept | Features & Specifications | Configure your Billie MK3
Why Tubes? | Who’s Billie? | Reviews & Press | MK3 vs MK2 upgrades
When was the last time music gave you goosebumps?
Built with passion and precision, Billie fuses organic tube warmth with modern sonic clarity. It lets you enjoy your entire music collection instantly — no external DAC, streamer, or phonostage required. Everything you need is already built into this elegant, minimalist device. Billie harmonizes these technical features effortlessly, letting you focus on what truly matters: connection, emotion, and musical truth.
Engineered for excellence, designed for emotion, Billie is made for listeners who crave the expressive richness of tubes without compromising the accuracy and convenience of contemporary audio engineering. With an integrated phonostage, reference-grade DAC, Bluetooth, and dedicated headphone amp, it’s a complete hifi system in a single, compact enclosure.
Billie MK2 | Analog Heart…
Analog Heart | Silicon Soul
At the heart of Billie is a carefully voiced tube preamp — a glowing analog stage that brings warmth, texture, and soul to your music. It feeds a powerful Class D amplifier, delivering effortless drive and clarity with modern efficiency. The result is a rare balance: rich harmonic detail with speed, punch, and low-end control.
Billie plays a wide range of formats, digital or analog, streamed or physical. Connect your turntable to our acclaimed phonostage, or pair your devices to the aptX Bluetooth. For digital sources, our Hi-Res DAC ensures that every bit is faithfully decoded. No matter your speakers and setup, get ready to experience your music like never before.
About Tubes…
Dating back over a hundred years, there’s a reason why tubes are still around today: their sound.
Tubes in audio applications are simply magical. Their special characteristics—the articulate midrange, velvety highs, and rich harmonic overtones—make them irresistibly pleasing to the human ear. They bring every nuance in a recording to life.
Power & Grace
While an all-tube amp is a power-hungry, maintenance-prone beast, most of the tubes’ sound-magic is gained at the preamplifier stage, not the amplifier. Additionally, preamp tubes require no maintenance, have a lifespan of at least 10,000 hours* and are easy to install—if you can change a lightbulb, you can change a tube.
*10,000 hours = over 5 years, if you listen to your sound system for 5 hours a day, every day.
Why the ECC99 tube?
JJ Tubes are renowned for their high quality, durability, and exceptional sound. We selected JJ’s ECC99 specifically for their tonal properties: the airy highs and beefy mid-bass.
Different tubes have different characteristics. Tube-swapping enables further sonic personalization. Unlike EQ settings, tube-swapping changes the harmonic profile and gain structure of the sound. For example: changing the ECC99’s for Electro Harmonix’s 12BH7 will produce a ‘darker’ sound-signature with a more marked roll-off, which may be favorable in brighter systems and environments.
Who’s Billie?
Billie Holiday (1915-1959) was a legendary American jazz singer and songwriter whose unique, soulful voice captivated audiences with its emotional depth and subtle phrasing. She defined the essence of jazz singing during her era. Despite facing profound personal struggles and racial discrimination, Holiday’s musical legacy continues to resonate deeply with listeners today. We named the Billie amp in honor of this musical icon whose authentic expression embodies the emotional connection we aim to deliver through our audio technology.
Design Matters | Emotion is a Function
Physically, the Billie Amp adopts an essential, classic design inspired by HiFi’s legacy.
At first glance, Billie’s 2 controls seem utterly simplistic: one sets the volume, the other selects the source. But there’s a great deal of complexity underneath that simplicity.
-To turn on the amp, turn up the volume. To turn off, lower it to zero. The music smoothly fades in and out of your space.
-To Bluetooth pair, push and hold the source selector, or tap it, to mute on the fly.
These actions and reactions, the textures and proportions, are an invitation to touch, to engage.
Beyond the “looks”, design is how a product works. Design creates a connection between people and products. We believe that products that are easy to use and beautiful make our lives better.
Billie MK3 vs MK2 | Key Upgrades and Enhancements
Modular Design: MK3 introduces a modular architecture, allowing users to swap and upgrade the amplifier module, DAC, and headphone amp for tailored sound and future-proofing. The MK2 offered no such flexibility.
Editions Options: MK3 comes in two distinct editions — the Classic (fully featured compact powerhouse) and Spartan (minimalist, analog-only design for audiophiles using external components). MK2 was available only in a single configuration.
Power Core Choices: MK3 offers two class D power core options: ICEpower 200AS2 (carried over from MK2) or Hypex NC252MP, providing different sonic signatures (musical vs holographic). MK2 was limited to the ICEpower 200AS2.
Enhanced Power Handling: MK3 with the Hypex module delivers up to 250W@4Ω and 150W@8Ω, compared to MK2’s 215W@4Ω and 120W@8Ω. While this power increase is modest, the key difference lies in the Hypex module’s superior ability to drive challenging speaker loads. Rather than choosing between amplifier modules based on raw power specifications, listeners should consider the distinct sonic signatures. However, the Hypex does handle difficult speakers with more ease.
Superior DAC: MK3 features the advanced ESS ES9039 DAC (384kHz/32-bit, DSD256), available in single or dual PERFORMANCE module configurations for enhanced dynamics and reduced noise. MK2 employed the older ESS 9018K2M DAC (192kHz/32-bit) with no upgrade path.
Upgradable Headphone Amplifier: The MK3 introduces a modular, upgradable headphone amplifier that can be configured as either a standard single unit or in a PERFORMANCE dual-mono configuration. The dual-mono setup delivers exceptional power, capable of driving even demanding 600Ω headphones with ease. MK2’s headphone amp was fixed.
Enhanced Connectivity: MK3 boasts 8 inputs, including a new USB-C port with hi-res and DSD support, dual optical inputs, and improved Bluetooth with external antenna. MK2 offered fewer, less advanced input options.
Adaptable Phono Stage: MK3’s phono input delivers greater versatility with switchable MM standard, MM high-gain, or line-in bypass modes. MK2’s phono stage was limited to two MM gain settings, with no bypass option.
Enhanced Bluetooth Performance: MK3 includes extended Bluetooth range via external antenna, while retaining the same AptX HD receiver technology. MK2 lacked this range-extending feature.
Improved Firmware Updates: MK3 supports firmware updates via Mac & PC through USB-C. MK2 was limited to PC compatibility via less reliable Micro-USB connections.
Physical Design: MK3 features redesigned input selection LEDs with improved visibility while avoiding excessive brightness. The amp is a tad longer [ MK3 dimensions 400mm x 204mm x 75mm. MK2 360mm x 204mm x 75mm ] and the tube socket engraving is more refined.
Input Selection: The unit now employs premium relays instead of MK2’s analog switches for input selection.
Advantages of the Relay Input Selection in the Billie MK3
Superior Channel Separation: Relay input selection maintains clearer distinction between left and right audio channels, significantly reducing crosstalk.
Enhanced Input Isolation: Each input remains effectively isolated from others, minimizing interference and signal contamination from unused sources.
Lower Noise Floor: The relay system substantially reduces potential noise and distortion compared to the outgoing analog switches, resulting in noticeably cleaner sound reproduction.
This Amp Goes to Eleven
Hand-assembled using aircraft-grade aluminium, stainless steel, American walnut knobs and premium electronics, Billie is built to last.
Made in Montreal, Canada | 5-year warranty | 30-day returns
BILLIE INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER | 215 W, 6 INPUTS
INCLUDING VINYL, APTX BLUETOOTH AND HI‑RES DIGITAL
Reviews
Nemo Propaganda reviews and compares the Billie Mk2 to other amplifiers
A British Audiophile give Billie an “outstanding” grade
Jay reviews the Billie Amp Mk2 vs Mk1
Steve Guttenberg, the Audiophiliac, reviews the Billie Amp Mk2
Steve Huff reviews the Billie Amp Mk2
Thomas & Stereo reviews the Billie Amp Mk2
The HiFi Cave reviews the Billie Amp Mk2
Jay of NBT Studio reviews the Billie Amp 1.0
Andrew Robinson reviews the Billie Amp 1.0
Thomas & Stereo reviews the Billie Amp 1.0
Stereo Strikes Back
We believe that stereo is still the best way to experience that ‘live in the room’ feeling.
Billie: it’s time to elevate your home audio experience.
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