[Vaiet]

So which closed headphone does have noticeable better soundstaging than the celestee. (No semi closed ones). Is the stellia much better in that aspect?

Depends if you consider TH900mk2 a closed-back or semi-open. If the first, then probably Fostex TH900mk2 (but I got spoiled by an Astral Acoustics SSPC balanced cable which refines them quite a lot). If the latter, then ZMF Eikon I guess. A while back tried the modded MrSpeakers Ether C Flow with Forza Audio cable (I think it was Noir Hybrid but could have been the basic Noir) and they've had a really spacious soundstage for a pair of closed-back headphones. I'm counting on trying ZMF Verite C in a near future, so much may change.

 

[Schwibbles]

Does it make sense to “upgrade” from a AFC 2 with or without the new pads to the Celestee?

It depends what you like. I prefer the Noire pads to the standard ones on the A2C but it gives it a more v-shaped, fun sound signature.
The Celestee on the other hand, is more detailed, has a better sense of dynamics (the A2C sounds a little over-damped), and has a more "neutral" sound.

I find both to be comfortable but with the A2C on top due to the headband and deeper pads.

Both feel very well built and use solid materials. I would pick the A2C for longevity (if you want to keep them many years) because of Focal's history of somewhat unreliable drivers. Also, you can easily switch out the headband and pads on the A2C over time. Focal generally offers pad replacements for their headphones but they're pricey. Utopia pads cost $250/pair last I checked, whereas replacement pads for the A2C are $60. Haven't seen Celestee pads for sale yet.

IMO, sound quality goes to Celestee, overall build/longevity/ergonomics go to A2C, and sound signature is your personal preference.
Hope this helps.

EDIT: When I say the Celestee's sound quality is better than the A2C, I do not necessarily mean it is more enjoyable. I actually enjoy the A2C Noire more for rock music and maybe a little more for the general listening I do at work, as opposed to critical listening.

 

[frix]

Schwibbles. How does A2C and Celestee compare in terms of headstage and imaging?

 

[Schwibbles]

Schwibbles. How does A2C and Celestee compare in terms of headstage and imaging?

I'll have to get back to you on that. I've not spent enough time directly comparing them.
For another excuse, I don't have a balanced cable in for the Celestee yet while my A2C cable is balanced. To keep comparisons fair, I want to test both out of the balanced outputs on my amps. I mainly use these headphones at work, and my amp at work is the Jotunheim 2. The J2 is known to sound a bit better when used fully balanced.

I want to control this because the Celestee seems to be pretty source dependent. I'm not sure if it's due to the resolving nature of the Celestee or something else, but I can easily hear differences in my source components with it. For example, (from my limited testing) it seems to pair extremely well with warmer, highly detailed sources like my Taurus MKII.

 

[frix]

Take your time. Appreciate your impressions once you were able for a fair comparison.

 

[Schwibbles]

Good news everyone! The Celestee passed the girlfriend test. My girlfriend told me the Celestee are the only one of my headphones she could see herself wearing, and that she thought looked good.

 

[Gamerlingual]

Good news everyone! The Celestee passed the girlfriend test. My girlfriend told me the Celestee are the only one of my headphones she could see herself wearing, and that she thought looked good.

My wife uses AirPods Pro and the Sony WH-1000XM3. She’s happy with how they sound

 

[Schwibbles]

My wife uses AirPods Pro and the Sony WH-1000XM3. She’s happy with how they sound

She has the AirPods Pro as well. Doesn't know anything about sound or really care that much though.
I know looks-approval is more of a thing with the speaker crowd, but I thought it was funny that the Celestee was the only headphone I own that she thinks looks good.

 

[Audioecstasy]

Im looking to potentially buy the Celestee for a different kind of sound to my current headphones. I want to retain the bass texture of my Sundara but better dynamics and sense of slam in the bass. My Sony MDR1AM2 can is great for certain genres - and basshead moods - but the bloated bass often overshadows the rest of the frequency range.

I've heard that Focal headphones in general have a great sense of slam, hence the interest in the Celestee. For those who have heard it, is the Celestee a good option fo meet my requirements?

Thanks in advance

 

[Schwibbles]

Im looking to potentially buy the Celestee for a different kind of sound to my current headphones. I want to retain the bass texture of my Sundara but better dynamics and sense of slam in the bass. My Sony MDR1AM2 can is great for certain genres - and basshead moods - but the bloated bass often overshadows the rest of the frequency range.

I've heard that Focal headphones in general have a great sense of slam, hence the interest in the Celestee. For those who have heard it, is the Celestee a good option fo meet my requirements?

Thanks in advance

From my experience, the Sundara has a pretty good sense of slam for a planar. The Celestee doesn't quite have the same slam as open-back Focal headphones. I haven't listened to them back to back yet but if you're looking for more slam and sense of dynamics, I doubt the Celestee will be a big step up. I'll compare them tonight if I remember by the time I get home from work.

 

[MatW]

Im looking to potentially buy the Celestee for a different kind of sound to my current headphones. I want to retain the bass texture of my Sundara but better dynamics and sense of slam in the bass. My Sony MDR1AM2 can is great for certain genres - and basshead moods - but the bloated bass often overshadows the rest of the frequency range.

I've heard that Focal headphones in general have a great sense of slam, hence the interest in the Celestee. For those who have heard it, is the Celestee a good option fo meet my requirements?

Thanks in advance

If you're looking for slam I'd consider the Z1R. Or the XC. Both great closed back headphones, with good punch & slam. They can be found for a similar price used as a new celestee.

 

[Schwibbles]

Im looking to potentially buy the Celestee for a different kind of sound to my current headphones. I want to retain the bass texture of my Sundara but better dynamics and sense of slam in the bass. My Sony MDR1AM2 can is great for certain genres - and basshead moods - but the bloated bass often overshadows the rest of the frequency range.

I've heard that Focal headphones in general have a great sense of slam, hence the interest in the Celestee. For those who have heard it, is the Celestee a good option fo meet my requirements?

Thanks in advance

Comparing the Sundara directly to the Celestee on my home setup (SE output). Note this is not a blind test, nor is it volume-matched. I set them to my normal, comfortable listening level (~70dB-73dB) and went with it.
Bass is just north of a flat response on Celestee; a bit more bass than Sundara.
Slam is a little better on Celestee. This could partially be due to the somewhat lifted bass response but it does sound like it's a little better/stronger. Overall not a huge difference in slam but the Celestee does win. YMMV with this as I've found the Celestee is fairly source dependent.

Something else I noticed is how easy it is to switch between the two. For example, when switching from the Celestee to the Aeon 2 Closed Noire, I notice how poor the timbre of the A2C is. It takes me awhile to get used to the sound.
When going from the Sundara to Celestee (or vice versa), it's a very easy transition; no having to get used to the sound. I see this as a big positive for the Celestee as the Sundara is tuned so well.

 

[Audioecstasy]

Thank for doing that comparison Schwibbles. Im relieved to hear that the Celestee won the slam test. Im also especially pleased that you say the transition between the Sundara and the Celestee is so good. As I love the sound of the Sundara and I'm essentially trying to find an easy (ish) to drive closed back version of the Sundara with a tiny bit more bass. It seems that I've found what I'm looking for.

Im curious though about what you mean by the Celestee being source dependant? Are you referring to the Dac/Amp combo or the music file used? I mostly stream FLAC and MQA vis Tidal.

If you're looking for slam I'd consider the Z1R. Or the XC. Both great closed back headphones, with good punch & slam. They can be found for a similar price used as a new celestee.

Yeah they have both pooped up several times in my research however the price new puts me off and I'm a bit reluctant to spend that much money on a used set. Its so difficult to decide on a set of can with all the shop closed and even when they open again I'm sure they'll be hesitant to allow in store demos for a while.

Comparing the Sundara directly to the Celestee on my home setup (SE output). Note this is not a blind test, nor is it volume-matched. I set them to my normal, comfortable listening level (~70dB-73dB) and went with it.
Bass is just north of a flat response on Celestee; a bit more bass than Sundara.
Slam is a little better on Celestee. This could partially be due to the somewhat lifted bass response but it does sound like it's a little better/stronger. Overall not a huge difference in slam but the Celestee does win. YMMV with this as I've found the Celestee is fairly source dependent.

Something else I noticed is how easy it is to switch between the two. For example, when switching from the Celestee to the Aeon 2 Closed Noire, I notice how poor the timbre of the A2C is. It takes me awhile to get used to the sound.
When going from the Sundara to Celestee (or vice versa), it's a very easy transition; no having to get used to the sound. I see this as a big positive for the Celestee as the Sundara is tuned so well.

See my above comment. Forgot to tag you in the previous one.

 

[Schwibbles]

Thank for doing that comparison Schwibbles. Im relieved to hear that the Celestee won the slam test. Im also especially pleased that you say the transition between the Sundara and the Celestee is so good. As I love the sound of the Sundara and I'm essentially trying to find an easy (ish) to drive closed back version of the Sundara with a tiny bit more bass. It seems that I've found what I'm looking for.

Im curious though about what you mean by the Celestee being source dependant? Are you referring to the Dac/Amp combo or the music file used? I mostly stream FLAC and MQA vis Tidal.


See my above comment. Forgot to tag you in the previous one.

Ramble warning! (sorry)

I mean source dependent in the DAC/Amp side of things. In a direct comparison, I can easily tell a difference between my Taurus, Jotunheim, and iDSD BL with the Celestee. The Jotunheim seems the most reserved (it's very close to the iDSD BL) in the bass out of the 3, but I'm still using its SE out. Not sure if it changes a little when using the balanced output. I ordered a balanced Periapt cable on Feb 20th with an estimated lead time of 20-days (in their words, "in most cases, much sooner") and I haven't heard an update.
I was using the Taurus for my comparisons from last night.
I have not been using CD-quality, lossless, or MQA tracks as I cancelled my Tidal subscription awhile back and am currently waiting for Spotify Hifi to come out. That being said, I have been listening to some music that is mastered well, which makes more of a difference (IMO!) than the bitrate since I'm already using Spotify Premium at 320kbps.

Some other things to consider:

The bass is presented differently than the Sundara. The Celestee is focused primarily on sub-bass and mid-bass (<~150Hz) whereas the Sundara (2020 model) is more linear all the way through with a little roll-off in the lowest frequencies (<~50Hz).

The bass of the Celestee is the most noticeable change between the 3 amps mentioned above. While being very easy to drive to loud volumes, the bass doesn't really seem to fill out until ~72dB (measured with my phone) or so which is around the upper end my personal listening level. I notice I tend to turn the Celestee up slightly louder than I do with other headphones like the Utopia or A2C for normal listening. I noticed this effect with the original Aeon Closed (AC) and I wonder if it has to do with my personal preferences and/or the dip in the bass-midrange transition which the AC also has.
Also (for my preferences), I really prefer the Celestee with the subjectively warmer sound of the Taurus. The caveat here is that the Taurus is connected to a dac1541 while the Jotunheim is connected to the LA-QXD1 and there is a difference between them as well.

Not talking to just you here but, I think that's hard to follow with all my current impressions of the Celestee; they change a bit depending on which gear I'm using and I'm not entirely sure what to attribute it to: the headphones, the source components, the listening environment, etc. The effect is more noticeable with the Celestee than some of my other headphones. I don't want to recommend them or say something about them to have someone buy them and have a completely different experience; but I guess that's always a possibility with how subjective this hobby is. That's why I keep saying (DAC/amp) source dependent over and over.

 

[MatW]

Yeah they have both pooped up several times in my research however the price new puts me off and I'm a bit reluctant to spend that much money on a used set. Its so difficult to decide on a set of can with all the shop closed and even when they open again I'm sure they'll be hesitant to allow in store demos for a while.

Buying used is the name of the game in headfi. It certainly is for me, I bought almost all of my gear used. The great benefit of buying used, apart from the obviously (much) lower investment, is the ability to resell at a similar price if you don't like the gear. You seem to have your eyes set on the Celestee. Which I understand, they look great. Soundwise I suspect they will not be for me (I owned and sold the Stellia), but I hope to audition it one day, and who knows. Do let us know what you think of them if you decide to proceed.