Focal Celestee

Notes and impressions:
My first Focal headphones were the Bathys, followed fairly swiftly by the Clear MG. Initially I enjoyed the Bathys a lot, but going to the more warm, lush sound signature of the Clear MG, I really started to crave that presentation in closed back form. The Bathys overall sounded quite a bit more thin.

I love good closed back headphones, as I live close enough to a busy highway that when I’m upstairs on that side of the house, I simply can’t listen to open backs the way I’d like, as the outside noise is just distracting enough to detract from my listening experience.

I had major reservations about this headphone, mostly because I rarely found any user feedback about them that failed to mention “NO SOUNDSTAGE”. Sometimes it wasn’t even mentioned so much as screamed, as if these were simply the narrowest and most claustrophobic headphones on the planet.
However, I can safely say the soundstage is perfectly fine, even good! It’s very accurate. I listen to a ton of film scores and orchestral music, as well as hardstyle EDM, classic rock, and modern metal. When I listen to any song thru the Celestee, I do feel I get a very accurate presentation of all the spatial information as far as left-right. If the song was recorded in a studio, it sounds small and intimate. If it’s a recording of a full orchestra in a huge hall for a film score, it sounds big. It doesn’t make big things sound small, nor does it make small things sound big- it simply presents them accordingly, IMO.

Now, where these shine, is in the dynamics, tonal richness, layering, and imaging within each track. I remember my first impression listening to one of my favorite test tracks- “Godzilla Main Title” by Bear McCreary, from the Godzilla: King of Monsters film score. It starts off with these HUGE brass blasts, playing that classic Godzilla theme, with massive percussion slams, and then directly into very feathery, delicately layered spiccato violins playing an ostinato before being joined by the rest of the strings. Dynamic presentation with the Celestee here is excellent. This is followed by a slow progression of orchestral intensity until the very end of the track. Since they’re closed, arrangements with a 60-100 piece orchestra can start to get cluttered and blurred together. During the final taiko slam, the bass rattled and went fairly deep, and was very satisfying.

Slam, punch, and dynamics are easily the star of the show with any song I threw at them, and really shine with the aforementioned track. Timbre and separation are the most easily noticeable shortcomings.

Space/imaging/layering:

The Celestee presented this song beautifully, much better than the Bathys as far as richness of the sound- these didn’t sound thin at all to me. It seemed a fairly neutral and balanced tonality, rich mids, airy treble (though not very extended), and fantastic bass slam. I also found the left-right layering to be fantastic. I could tell that first violins were furthest to the left, I could tell when second violins played, where each woodwind instrument was seated in the front, again not a HUGE soundstage but not small at all. While it wasn’t a pure “black background” presentation with its speed and precision, it was very musical and enjoyable.

The presentation is not a holographic sphere as much as a long oval going from left to right. It didn’t have the same front/back depth as some others, but the left/right width and layering was superb.


Tone- I would say I understand why some might not like the tone, compared to an open back like the Clear MG, both the Celestee and the Bathys sound more artificial, sometimes a bit plastic-y. I wish there was more detail in the treble. It lacked the crisp, incredibly lifelike tonality and polish as the Clear MG. It also suffered from some mudiness during busy passages- imaging is great when a solo instrument is playing, or when just the strings section is playing- but during very busy arrangements, things could start to get smeared and smushed together. This sort of stuff is expected from a closed-back, but at around $1,000 maybe I was hoping for a bit more. Nothing incredibly disappointing, as they’re still very enjoyable, just not perfect and could use some improvements as far as timbre and separation.

Comparisons:


vs Ether CX
I would definitely say I could tell they lacked a bit in detail and precision compared to my other closed back pair, the Ether CX from Dan Clark Audio/Drop. The Ether CX was wider, more detailed, with more pinpoint imaging and more front to back depth. Where the Ether CX really fall behind is tonality and timbre, where the Celestee really POPS and presents a more vivid and engaging sound signature, especially when it comes to treble energy and bass. I do think the Celestee is the more complete package out of these two.

Vs Clear MG
I do think they compliment each other nicely, and it’s probably the closest you’ll get to having a clear MG in closed back form- but listening back to back, the tonality, detail, and musicality of the clear MG is superior. Clear MG has a layer of smoothness/polish over everything and is much more lifelike when reproducing acoustic instruments, and they’re also warmer. Much more engaging and immersive (they also cost more and it’s closed vs open so it’s not the most fair comparison).

Vs Bathys-
I think celestee wins by a large margin besides portability and isolation. Celestee isolation is good, but obviously Bathys have ANC, and are smaller and much more convenient. In every other aspect, I think Celestee is better. More rich, bigger sound, better layering.

Vs ATH AWKT
My latest closed back pair also costs much more, around $1900. So, yes this is an unfair comparison, but the AWKT slaughters the celestee in every area except bass and slam. They sound huge, much more depth, significantly more detail with laser-accurate imaging and unparalleled separation for a closed back.

If you’re used to a TOTL closed back like the mentioned ATH AWKT, or an open back above $1,000 that is known for good soundstage, yes the celestee will then sound tiny. If you’re used to an HD650 or 660s, well you’ll love the Celestee. It’s a very good headphone. There are many, many things to love about it. It only gets brought down because it replace the Elegia which commonly sold for under $400, and it occupies a weird place- most people willing to pay $1000+ for headphones already have heard something with a much bigger soundstage, so the celestee gets instantly thrown into the category of “tiny soundstage”. Those willing to spend $2500+ almost certainly go for the Stellia or another TOTL pair.

If you’re in it for the musical engagement and want a great Jack-of-all-trades, or upgrading from a sub $500 pair, you’ll love these. If you’re looking to compare and contrast with open back, these certainly aren’t in the category of “closed backs that sound open”.

Gear tested on: iPhone 13 Pro
Apple Music lossless when streaming,
or Hi-res FLAC files from iPod touch.
Dragonfly red when mobile
Topping l30/a30 II stack on desktop.

These do noticeably scale and sounded bigger and better on the topping stack than a dongle or device headphone jack, though they can easily be driven by a laptop or even Nintendo Switch 3.5mm jack. SUPER easy to drive.


Added impressions after initial review:

EDM- the song Alien Intelligence by Second Identity sounded incredible on these. The really gritty, textured basses and sound design really dig in, right inside your head. Treble doesn’t get too hot, a nice polished sound but it can sound a bit plastic-y, for lack of better word. The Clear MG, Ether Flow 1.1, and hd660s/650/600 sounded significantly smoother and more natural. On the Celestee, the texture of electronic and distorted guitar sounds is better than the timbre of acoustic/orchestral instruments overall- these are perfect for electronic and metal.
The bass punches very hard and sufficiently deep. Doesn’t dig into your gut like a planar, but it certainly grooves and keeps you awake!!

Jurassic Park Theme by John Williams- again, beautiful dynamics and engagement, fantastic imaging, but separation and high mid/treble timbre could be improved for busy orchestral arrangements and acoustic instruments.
On the ATH AWKT, Clear Mg, and Ether Flow 1.1, the instruments are more clearly defined and much more seperated. The harp and solo horn are also further away when playing solo passages. Width is fine with celestee, but once the other instruments join the horn and harp, they more easily get smeared together where the others stay very clearly defined and seperated.

The All Spark (Transformers Score) by Steve Jablonsky- the floaty electronic sounds, bass, and solo cello is all beautiful here. Imaging is fantastic, cello is in front with great detail. Bass is deep. More minimal arrangements, and more electronic-focused songs are where Celestee shines.

Admittedly, I am very late to be posting my impressions. I guess that’s mostly to do with how I just didn’t fall in love with these headphones.

My immediate impression of the sound was that they seemed thin at first, but still a full feeling (possibly due to less energy in 150-200 hz range based on measurements I looked at after listening). It’s not like I could specifically pick out any notes that were missing and they seemed to have more sub-bass than my open backs (my go-to reference are HD580s), but there just wasn’t a ton of body, the bass was mostly all slam. There was detail without presence. I would describe the sound as clear, possibly clinical.

They felt a little bit bright? My "torture" track for treble is Out Of The Races And Onto The Tracks by The Rapture and is definitely make the highs somewhat piercing.

That said, the vocals were lovely, easy to get lost in a track and enjoy. The vocals felt very present, holographic even, on something like Friend by Cheyenne Marie Mize. Great detail in there.

On the topic of detail, stereo separation and instrument placement on something like Jethro Tull's Mother Goose was excellent. It's tight and well defined.

That said, I was still somehow expecting more punch from the lows than I was getting, but that could be an expectation bias for any closed-back set.

They’re remarkably airy and have a wide soundstage for close-backs. Not a tremendous amount of isolation, granted, but more than my open backs afford, obviously. The pads made good seal on my face, and they didn't lose that seal when I moved my head or jaw, unlike other closed-backs I've worn. As such, the sound profile remains the same and I wouldn’t have to sit perfectly still to avoid dramatic changes in perceived frequency response as the closed chamber around my ears changed.

That build quality is tremendous. The materials feel truly luxurious, solid. Very nice details to the design and assembly. They were also extremely comfortable, mostly due to the richness of that material.

As has been mentioned in most other reviews, the cable is indeed too short. Maybe the design idea is for mobile usage, but I personally couldn't imagine walking down the street with headphones of this cost.

In the end, I wasn't exactly sad to pop my HD580s back on, despite their age (though possessing nearly brand new earpads and headband) and their plastic construction. Soundstage isn't quite as wide, but there's some warmth back in the mix that I felt was missing with the Focals. Vocals perhaps a little less angelic/holographic, but the full mix feels more present, and it's not like vocals don't sound lovely. There's more detail in the Focals, to be sure, but if it was my $1k I don't think I'd spend it here. There's something in the Focals that just doesn't have the full mix rise during an epic rise like Purple Rain or Brandi Carlile's The Joke. It's good, it's airy, detailed, and built to a tremendous quality, but does it _swing?_ It didn't for me. The overall sound could be described as lean, missing a visceral body. It would be great for mastering, if not for relaxed listening.

I found them easy to drive, which is nice for a portable source. Given the short cable, I figured I'd give that a try. On an older iPod full of ALAC files or an iPhone using the Apple Lightning-DAC playing qobuz, it was indeed easy to power, with plenty of loudness around the middle of the volume range (HD580s needed one or two notches down from max to achieve the same approximate spl). Similar audio results to desktop amplification. Passive isolation was nice enough in an office environment, but given the choice, I'd stick to some IEMs. If you're entirely opposed to in-ears, though, this was good. Can't say they’re kilobuck good for me, though.

They’re beautiful to look at, and have a wonderful build. The included case is also very nice.

If one's priorities lean more towards the luxury material side than the pure audio performance side, I could easily recommend these.

I definitely enjoyed my time with this set as a learning experience and want to thank Todd of TTVJ for the loaner program and the opportunity to test out a headphone I otherwise likely would have only have otherwise known of by reading others experiences.

I am a big Focal fan, having owned the Clear, Clear MG, and Elegia. I prefer them over dozens of others I've tried and owned over the years. For me, Focal gets closest to the detail, dynamic range and energy I enjoy in a headphone. They do most things right--and most of all, they're a lot of fun.

The Clear MG are my go-to phones that I use 95% of the time. But, I recently decided to try the Celestee through Todd The Vinyl Junkie's tour, and glad I did. Until the Celestee, I didn't like the limitations of a closed-back, preferring the breadth and air an open-back provides. However, the Celestee changed my opinion quite a bit.

Simply put, the Celestee sounds very close to the Clear MG, but offers a touch more intimacy, and sense of being there. Sure, the soundstage is smaller, and there is slightly less bass slam, slightly less microdynamics, the timbre isn't quite as right, but otherwise, it's pretty darn close to everthing I love about the Clear MG. I also enjoy it more with my HiBy R6, because it's both very efficient and keeps the noise out when I'm roaming around.

Is it better than the Elegia? Yes, but not hugely. It just does everything a bit better, except for the slightly smaller soundstage. Although I own the Elegia and the Clear MG (among several other phones by other companies), I felt the Celestee would be an enhancement to my collection and bought a pair. I'll probably sell my Elegia simply because the two are so similar. Nonetheless, if you can get an Elegia at the current under $500 pricing, jump on it. Get the Dekoni Limited Edition pads, and don't look back.

In conclusion, the Celestee is a great headphone. Not as great as the Clear MG, but for a closed-back, it's excellent. I want to put in a special thanks and pat on the back to Todd The Vinyl Junkie for allowing me to audition the Celestee. That was truly old school generous, so I encourage everyone to give him your business when buying audio.