On the hunt for a set of closed back cans for office use. Was considering re-purchasing the Elegia but tried the Celestee earlier and it sounded much better than I remember it sounding when I listened a couple of years back. Yes the soundstage is kinda non-existent, but other than that it seemed to get quite a lot right and it had that Focal immediacy and engagement which I love. Judging from the number of pages this thread has, this seems to be one of Focal's least popular/successful products...am curious, do we have any long term users of the Celestee who still use it regularly?
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Focal Celestee (New Closed-Back Headphone)
- Thread starter Malevolent
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LaVey1999
Head-Fier
I think so too that they went under the radar.On the hunt for a set of closed back cans for office use. Was considering re-purchasing the Elegia but tried the Celestee earlier and it sounded much better than I remember it sounding when I listened a couple of years back. Yes the soundstage is kinda non-existent, but other than that it seemed to get quite a lot right and it had that Focal immediacy and engagement which I love. Judging from the number of pages this thread has, this seems to be one of Focal's least popular/successful products...am curious, do we have any long term users of the Celestee who still use it regularly?
I have them for 2 years now. I don‘t use them that often currently, I use more and more IEM‘s atm, but they‘re still great. When I hear with them it‘s a great experience.
At the beginning I heard like 1-2 hours, 3-4 days a week, now it‘s like 2 times a month, not because I don‘t like them anymore, again, it‘s because I switched over to IEM‘s.
I’ve had a dead driver after 7 months, but atleast the replacement still hold up. Based on this thread I was the only one with that problem.
For the current prices around 500-700$, I think you can‘t go wrong.
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Gilles De Rais
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Office use is exactly my usage. Policy writing is best done under the influence of music…On the hunt for a set of closed back cans for office use. Was considering re-purchasing the Elegia but tried the Celestee earlier and it sounded much better than I remember it sounding when I listened a couple of years back. Yes the soundstage is kinda non-existent, but other than that it seemed to get quite a lot right and it had that Focal immediacy and engagement which I love. Judging from the number of pages this thread has, this seems to be one of Focal's least popular/successful products...am curious, do we have any long term users of the Celestee who still use it regularly?
Celestee (balanced cable) hooked up to an Astell and Kern PA10 and either a Hiby RS6 or A&k SA700. Very close to desktop performance.
Perfect pairing - ZMF Lektrik-C 4 strand in rose gold
GeoMurph
New Head-Fier
I know this is an ancient post at this point, but I am very happy to read that you like the Celestee as a complimentary pair to the Arya Stealth.Managed to snatch a pair for around 500 euros used in pristine condition, got them yesterday and wow… i’m greatly impressed.
Coming from a great HP like the Arya Stealth and having a pretty bad experience with the Elegia, i was moderately worried i would find them ok but not great. Instead I was blown away with the details presented and the tuning.
I don’t mind the intimate stage, as this is not my only HP and to be different than my Arya is a plus. The Bass is amazing, great impact and full bodied with zero bleed (which is something i hate, when the bass gets boomy); the mids are sweet even tho they can get a little shouty with some tracks at high volume, but it is manageable.
The vocals are a little far away but greaty detailed and focused, more so than the Arya (which to me is way more an “instruments headphone” ) while the treble region give good detail and spark without any fatigue.
All in all, i think this is pretty great. The greatest feature it has, to me, is that it makes you feel focused and inside the music without the typical claustrophobic feeling of closed back headphones.
I am waiting on a pair I picked up at the 'sale' price of $700, and they will be my first audiophile closed-backs. So far my other sets are Arya Stealth (I love the holographic imaging, but vocals and certain acoustic instruments are a bit lacking; also, my home office gets noisy with AC and passing traffic.), HE400SE (These live at my shared office as it is not a major disaster if they 'walk off'; these got me into planars, but are behind the Aryas in every respect.), and HD6XX (I really don't enjoy them, they are just not what I am after.).
I'll post on this thread with my impressions of the Celestee after I listen for a few days.
Have you tried Azurys? I'd say it's a very good alternative to Celestee. At current RRP Azurys is the way to go, I'd say it's better mid range performance and timbre gives it the edge, but the Celestee has a more detailed treble.On the hunt for a set of closed back cans for office use. Was considering re-purchasing the Elegia but tried the Celestee earlier and it sounded much better than I remember it sounding when I listened a couple of years back. Yes the soundstage is kinda non-existent, but other than that it seemed to get quite a lot right and it had that Focal immediacy and engagement which I love. Judging from the number of pages this thread has, this seems to be one of Focal's least popular/successful products...am curious, do we have any long term users of the Celestee who still use it regularly?
My post was quite a while back and I ended up getting the D9200 so that's all sorted. I have tried the Azurys a couple of times and prefer the Celestee tuning and other sonic traits but appreciate Azurys has better comfort and ease-of-use.Have you tried Azurys? I'd say it's a very good alternative to Celestee. At current RRP Azurys is the way to go, I'd say it's better mid range performance and timbre gives it the edge, but the Celestee has a more detailed treble.
finczufincz
Head-Fier
My post was quite a while back and I ended up getting the D9200 so that's all sorted. I have tried the Azurys a couple of times and prefer the Celestee tuning and other sonic traits but appreciate Azurys has better comfort and ease-of-use.
I had Celestee some time ago but haven't used them too much as they sounded too bright for my taste. They certainly looked good though For me Elegia sounds more neutral and fun, more close to Elear although technical aspects of sound might be a bit better in Celestee.
But having bought D9200 can you confirm that they are somewhat similarly brigh as Celestee as one reviewer said?
D9200 would probably register to you as similarly bright, yes. Really worth demo-ing it if you can. It’s less claustrophobic and fatiguing than the Celestee - more of an airy, open feel which can mitigate things, if you struggle with raised treble.I had Celestee some time ago but haven't used them too much as they sounded too bright for my taste. They certainly looked good though For me Elegia sounds more neutral and fun, more close to Elear although technical aspects of sound might be a bit better in Celestee.
But having bought D9200 can you confirm that they are somewhat similarly brigh as Celestee as one reviewer said?
marts30
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Snagged a pair for cheap $600NZD, going for a clearance/steal on A2A as well... $600AUD https://addictedtoaudio.com.au/prod...lity-reference-closed-back-dynamic-headphones
egamaiden
New Head-Fier
I've had the Celestee from June 2022 and I've been a very happy user since then.
I've previously had Elegia, Stellia, Radiance and I ended up selling all of them and keeping my Celestee because I find them much more balanced in almost any category. They don't have a wow factor by any means, they don't excel at anything in particular, but in the end, I much prefer listening to Celestee to all the previous Focals mentioned due to the clear, natural and balanced presentation, plus I find them really comfortable. Do they have a wide soundstage like my E3s? no, they don't, but I also think that it depends on the source you're using, because on my Naim Uniti Atom HE they do okay soundstage-wise, not a problem.
I've previously had Elegia, Stellia, Radiance and I ended up selling all of them and keeping my Celestee because I find them much more balanced in almost any category. They don't have a wow factor by any means, they don't excel at anything in particular, but in the end, I much prefer listening to Celestee to all the previous Focals mentioned due to the clear, natural and balanced presentation, plus I find them really comfortable. Do they have a wide soundstage like my E3s? no, they don't, but I also think that it depends on the source you're using, because on my Naim Uniti Atom HE they do okay soundstage-wise, not a problem.
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marts30
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Just got mine in, yeah... these are great.
Small stage? Yeah, but that's my preference for metal especially. I had an Elex previously and even the open backs didn't have a huge stage. These have nice energy but nothing harsh or fatiguing. Look great, fit great for me... sounds the way I expected. Neutral-ish without anything elevated.
Cable is terrible and short, but I had prepared for that.
Small stage? Yeah, but that's my preference for metal especially. I had an Elex previously and even the open backs didn't have a huge stage. These have nice energy but nothing harsh or fatiguing. Look great, fit great for me... sounds the way I expected. Neutral-ish without anything elevated.
Cable is terrible and short, but I had prepared for that.
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GeoMurph
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I've listened to mine for about 50 hours. I've heard several reviewers describe these as a Swiss army knife among headphones, and that describes them perfectly. I haven't found a genre I don't enjoy listening to with them.
finczufincz
Head-Fier
Thanks for the info. So it looks like Denon D9200 might not be my cup of tea but you never really know. D7200 were quite nice though just ordinary at the same time. And while I don't liked my Celestee too much they were definitely spicy up top so I can understand why some folks like them.D9200 would probably register to you as similarly bright, yes. Really worth demo-ing it if you can. It’s less claustrophobic and fatiguing than the Celestee - more of an airy, open feel which can mitigate things, if you struggle with raised treble.
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