[Derivative]

Got these today, bought used for a very good price.
First impressions is they sound really good. I have the OG Clear so I'm used to the relatively narrow soundstage, doesn't bother me.
I'm really enjoying the details and the bass is very good, probably better than the Clear but more listening is required.

I had been on the lookout for a closed back headphone. Bough the DCA Aeon 2 closed but just couldn't get along with them comfort or sound wise. The Celestee cost less and are the better headphone for me, even after only a few hours of listening.

 

[gazzington]

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.

I think your right. Both my mojo2 and hugo2 sound great with my stellia and elex

 

[xenoVa]

Hello. How does Celestee sound from iPhone + Apple dongle ?

I'm aware that Apple dongle won't unleash Celestee to its full potential, compared to something like Chord Hugo 2. But I still wonder how it sounds off the dongle. Good, decent or totally horrible ?

 

[LaVey1999]

Hello. How does Celestee sound from iPhone + Apple dongle ?

I'm aware that Apple dongle won't unleash Celestee to its full potential, compared to something like Chord Hugo 2. But I still wonder how it sounds off the dongle. Good, decent or totally horrible ?

I don't have the Apple Dongle but an iPod Touch (7. Gen). It does the work. For my experience is more power = stronger an better bass with slightly better overall sound. My FiiO Q1 Mark II sounds better (balanced) than straight from the iPod, but not as good as on my desktop iFi Zen Can with 8 times more power. Try it out, but in the end you should look for other solutions as the Apple Dongle.
The Celestee is not powerhungry by any means, but he scales better with more juice.

 

[arielext]

I have this strange hate/love relation with Focal. I have had all but the Utopia and every time I thought it would last but I ended up selling all of them. None of which I hold on to longer than a year. Same for the Celestee. Recently found a pair for a good price and perhaps that is what I needed. The Celestee is darned good for what it brings but I can't have it as my only closed-back headphone. The narrow stage is over-hyped IMO, it's tight but not unbearable.
Celestee is also the the best Focal regarding pads (imo):
- Clear? Pads discolour; even on the MG
- Utopia? Glue leaks
- Stellia? See Clear but let's call it "patina"
- Radiance? Should be killer but my pair had 2 different sizes pads... 1 was significantly less filled then then other one, making everything sound off-centre
- Elear / Elegia? Swap pads is the first hint you get when you buy them. Pads are good though.
- Elex? A clear rip-off. Sound is good but the difference in material is significant

- Celestee? Leather, semi-aniline: keeps shape and colour

 

[Derivative]

I have this strange hate/love relation with Focal. I have had all but the Utopia and every time I thought it would last but I ended up selling all of them. None of which I hold on to longer than a year. Same for the Celestee. Recently found a pair for a good price and perhaps that is what I needed. The Celestee is darned good for what it brings but I can't have it as my only closed-back headphone. The narrow stage is over-hyped IMO, it's tight but not unbearable.
Celestee is also the the best Focal regarding pads (imo):
- Clear? Pads discolour; even on the MG
- Utopia? Glue leaks
- Stellia? See Clear but let's call it "patina"
- Radiance? Should be killer but my pair had 2 different sizes pads... 1 was significantly less filled then then other one, making everything sound off-centre
- Elear / Elegia? Swap pads is the first hint you get when you buy them. Pads are good though.
- Elex? A clear rip-off. Sound is good but the difference in material is significant

- Celestee? Leather, semi-aniline: keeps shape and colour

Agreed, the pads on the Celestee are really good. To me it's a nicer looking and built headphone than the Clear, but I prefer the Clear SQ wise.

 

[Coztomba]

On sale brand new in Aus at ATA for $849 (that's around $550 USD).

Amazing deal.

 

[liujun050612]

Got the Celestee for 3rd day. Oh my god!!! They sounded soo close, extremely close to Stellia. I can't believe I only spend 1/3 price of Stellia, to my ears, they are 98% match.

If you just relax and listen, I can't even tell which one is Stellia or Celestee. Only do side by side comparison, you realized Stellia edge out a little in detail and sound stage.
As Celestee will be a portable in the office headphone for me, I love it soo much. Way way better than bathys that I tried at dealer store.

Finally I can put my u12t down and leave my Stellia at home.

 

[RayMets1]

Can anyone please direct me to where I can purchase new OEM Celestee earpads?

 

[schsieh]

Can anyone please direct me to where I can purchase new OEM Celestee earpads?

I am also interested. I have a Celestee, tried to find an OEM replacement as a backup but couldn't find it anywhere in the US.

 

[mainguy]

Got the Celestee for 3rd day. Oh my god!!! They sounded soo close, extremely close to Stellia. I can't believe I only spend 1/3 price of Stellia, to my ears, they are 98% match.

If you just relax and listen, I can't even tell which one is Stellia or Celestee. Only do side by side comparison, you realized Stellia edge out a little in detail and sound stage.
As Celestee will be a portable in the office headphone for me, I love it soo much. Way way better than bathys that I tried at dealer store.

Finally I can put my u12t down and leave my Stellia at home.

It's odd they even sound similar to you, completely different drivers and material. To me at least they sound quite different just signature wise, both in timbre and tonal balance. Celestee - Stellia I think are far more divided in Focal lineup than say Celestee - Clear, and those two are pretty different!

That said I concur, Celestee are a lot of fun as a headphone and look gorgeous. They are a long way from a Stellia in my book, actually they a long way from a Clear in performance, let alone Focals flagships.

 

[liujun050612]

It's odd they even sound similar to you, completely different drivers and material. To me at least they sound quite different just signature wise, both in timbre and tonal balance. Celestee - Stellia I think are far more divided in Focal lineup than say Celestee - Clear, and those two are pretty different!

That said I concur, Celestee are a lot of fun as a headphone and look gorgeous. They are a long way from a Stellia in my book, actually they a long way from a Clear in performance, let alone Focals flagships.

Before I get Celestee, I wish to get an audiophile grade wired portable headphone that need to meet my criteria below:
1. Great Looking. (Celestee certainly delivers. They look stuning. I like the look of Celestee way better than Stellia)
2. Compact, premium design, comfortable for longer sessions, include a carrying case (Beside Celestee is a little big, it ticks the rest of marks)
3. No Bluetooth, Noise cancelling function, common detachable cable (like 3.5mm), balanced cable recommended, swappable earpads, scale well with high end gear, easy to drive. (One big point and Celestee delivers)
4. Neutral or warm neutral, Price point 500 to 1500. (I like the neutral tuning that Celestee delivers similar to Clear MG, which I have and love)
5. Has to excel my current portable setup: 64 audio u12t, audio technica wp900. (Celestee easily delivers)

Stellia is still the king of closed back. It out resolve Celestee by quite a margin. But I love both, especially the netural tuning close to clear MG. Also, Celestee ticked almost all my criteria. That's why Celestee have added to my collection.
But the biggest surprise will be the new Utopia 2022. After listened on that day, I am still missed so much. I have to get that next year. To my ears, it beats the previous Utopia, and the best headphone I have ever heard. After heard the Utopia, heading home and grab my stellia, Immediately I feel something is missing on Stellia compare to Utopia.

 

[KPzypher]

Owned a Stellia for a long time and hated it. I recently purchased the Elegia and love it. Now, will I like the Celestee? I'm looking for another closed-back.

 

[Odin412]

Owned a Stellia for a long time and hated it. I recently purchased the Elegia and love it. Now, will I like the Celestee? I'm looking for another closed-back.

Hmm - not sure. IMHO the sound of the Celestee is closer to the Stellia than the Elegia. YMMV, of course.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

What are you worried about? Do you have any specific things you're wondering about?
No amount of impressions from other people will ultimately determine whether or not you like them. They're very good closed-back headphones, but only you can listen to them to find out if you like them.