[mainguy]

I agree with your assessment I have the OG clears and preferred them to the new ones but it's quite close. The Celestee are a step down in SQ but they are also a step down in price and being closed back I think has in inherent detriment for SQ. However the Celestee are my office headphones and for the price offer a damn good SQ for that use application. I can crank them at my desk and really not much sound bleed and the isolation is quite good so I don't get distracted in an open air environment.

I agree, its actually high praise I think to say the Celestee is 70% of a clear give or take. For the price and fact it can be driven by even a phone, thats great. Focal did a superb job with it, and im still blown away by how it looks

 

[broopa]

Just picked these up and I don't think my Kann Alpha can push these hard enough. Thinking about doing a Schiit stack Magni Heresy and Modi 3. Anyone have experience with that stack and these headphones. Also open to recommendations around the same price range.

 

[Runrunsmithfly]

Just picked these up and I don't think my Kann Alpha can push these hard enough. Thinking about doing a Schiit stack Magni Heresy and Modi 3. Anyone have experience with that stack and these headphones. Also open to recommendations around the same price range.

I used a Magni with my Focal Clear Pro headphones and it was a decent combination but the Asgard 3 was a step up for a little more money. I have a Modi 3+ that has the AK4490 in it and it's hard to beat for a 100 bucks. The new Modi 3E will use an ES chip.
If you can go a hundred more I think the Modius is worth it, it uses the AK4493. I like it better than the Modi 3. For me the best has always been the Modi multibit. I've put off buying a Bifrost 2 because of the Modi multibit.

 

[MatW]

The Celestee is easy to drive. Sounds fantastic with a good DAP imho.

 

[Edyeded86]

The Celestee is easy to drive. Sounds fantastic with a good DAP imho.

What’s the cable you’re using my man?

 

[MatW]

What’s the cable you’re using my man?

It's an Eletech Prudence. It's SPC. I believe it was a one-off product, but they probably have similar cables if you're interested.

 

[Edyeded86]

It's an Eletech Prudence. It's SPC. I believe it was a one-off product, but they probably have similar cables if you're interested.

Thanks!! How much was it if you don’t mind me asking? Make a difference to the sound?

 

[MatW]

Thanks!! How much was it if you don’t mind me asking? Make a difference to the sound?

I got it as part of a trade. I think the original price was in the 400-500 area.

I buy cables for look and feel. Sound differences are not significant in my experience.

 

[mainguy]

Just picked these up and I don't think my Kann Alpha can push these hard enough. Thinking about doing a Schiit stack Magni Heresy and Modi 3. Anyone have experience with that stack and these headphones. Also open to recommendations around the same price range.

Focals pair very well with a Chord hugo. Honestly a used Hugo for $500 will likely sound a lot better than the schiit stack (its a $1400 unit originally and competes at that price). Just a headsup, as the chord stuff + Focal is magnifique. I had a KANN and the Hugo blows it away, bigstyle.

 

[broopa]

I used a Magni with my Focal Clear Pro headphones and it was a decent combination but the Asgard 3 was a step up for a little more money. I have a Modi 3+ that has the AK4490 in it and it's hard to beat for a 100 bucks. The new Modi 3E will use an ES chip.
If you can go a hundred more I think the Modius is worth it, it uses the AK4493. I like it better than the Modi 3. For me the best has always been the Modi multibit. I've put off buying a Bifrost 2 because of the Modi multibit.

Those are some upgrades I can swing. Thanks for the advice.

Focals pair very well with a Chord hugo. Honestly a used Hugo for $500 will likely sound a lot better than the schiit stack (its a $1400 unit originally and competes at that price). Just a headsup, as the chord stuff + Focal is magnifique. I had a KANN and the Hugo blows it away, bigstyle.

Looking for desktop set up the Alpha is good enough on the go, but for what ever reason it doesn't seem to do as well when hooked up to my computer. Buying a Hugo used just worries me because of the battery. But also a good option.

 

[mainguy]

Those are some upgrades I can swing. Thanks for the advice.

Looking for desktop set up the Alpha is good enough on the go, but for what ever reason it doesn't seem to do as well when hooked up to my computer. Buying a Hugo used just worries me because of the battery. But also a good option.

The good things is there's a lot of Hugo's on ebay these days that have just had the batteries replaced, within the last few months, by official chord dealers and whatnot. Just one option, but I've found Focals absolutely sing on Chord gear. Also iFi for the more budget end is very nice with Focal! Zen Dac & iFi go blu. Neither touch the Hugo, but theyre good.

 

[Edyeded86]

The good things is there's a lot of Hugo's on ebay these days that have just had the batteries replaced, within the last few months, by official chord dealers and whatnot. Just one option, but I've found Focals absolutely sing on Chord gear. Also iFi for the more budget end is very nice with Focal! Zen Dac & iFi go blu. Neither touch the Hugo, but theyre good.

Hip dac 2 sounds good too!!

 

[Volote]

Just to add some good words in this thread. I've had my Celestee over a month and play them over my Zen stack (dac v2/can) as well as my TT2. I got rid of my Elegias in favor of these and they sound so much better. Elegias I felt like I had to EQ because something was missing and I tried so hard to love them. The Celestee I don't have to EQ, I love its natural signature. Whenever I need to rest from analyzing on the LCD-5, the Celestee doesn't let me down to just groove and relax. Sure it's a small stage, but the details are still there.

 

[mainguy]

Just to add some good words in this thread. I've had my Celestee over a month and play them over my Zen stack (dac v2/can) as well as my TT2. I got rid of my Elegias in favor of these and they sound so much better. Elegias I felt like I had to EQ because something was missing and I tried so hard to love them. The Celestee I don't have to EQ, I love its natural signature. Whenever I need to rest from analyzing on the LCD-5, the Celestee doesn't let me down to just groove and relax. Sure it's a small stage, but the details are still there.

So much better than Elegia, I agree, owned Elegia before I got Celestee.
Hows that zen dac and the TT2 with celestee? how are you finding it scales?

 

[Volote]

So much better than Elegia, I agree, owned Elegia before I got Celestee.
Hows that zen dac and the TT2 with celestee? how are you finding it scales?

I've not done any hard comparisons and it's been a while since I've used the Celestee on the TT2 and gave it a good comparative listen. My brain is always so exhausted that I don't even play games anymore. I'll fire up a game and stop after 5 minutes and do something else. That said, I'll eventually get down to seeing how things scale between the TT2 and the Zen dac. I wonder if I'd even tell any big difference with headphones that don't require much power. I mainly got the TT2 in preparation for the Susvara or the 1266.