[dan3952]

I just try and repair those peaks and dips with JRiver's parametric EQ, trying to bring the response closer to ideal, if I have a good curve to work from. The Inner Fidelity ones are still online and I had saved a lot of them. The timbre of any headphone I've had, hadn't changed after I had EQ'd: cold and metallic sounding tracks still sounded that way. The Shure SRH1540s with their Mylar drivers and higher distortion bass, had sounded noticeably warmer than the technical Clears, and I had applied a custom EQ to both of them. I wouldn't expect something with an aluminum driver to sound warm and lush, ever.

I had tried the Elears at the time, and the Clears were a noticeable step up. The differences I had heard, had little to do with their frequency response.

HiFiMan HE-6SE is hard to find, mysterious headphone that I would be willing to power, but wouldn't personally pay $1800 for. It might be fun to have one for a month or two. Probably one of the more dynamic ones they sell.

Headamp has some sales on right now. The Clears have been marked down to $1200. Stellia is down to $2400.

You might look at a used Fostex TH-900, or a Mr. Speakers Ether Flow C.

I had Aryas for two weeks last summer, and felt they had inaccurate timbre for female vocals. Might try them again if they go on sale (like to $1200). Aryas have very good imaging and soundstage, but dynamics are not their strong suit. I had played Bjork's "Army of Me" through the Audezes the other day, and the electronic bass was just searing. I think that song would sound lousy on Anandas or Aryas.

That's an interesting take on the Clear. I have yet to hear one, but I've previously owned the Elear. It was nice at first, but I eventually began to dislike the ~4-5k dip. I've read that the Clear improves that, but I wonder how much of a step up it is. The Clear and Arya are the top of headphones that I'd like to hear sometime, but the Hifiman HE-6SE V2 (Adorama version) will probably be my next headphone purchase due to the discount and having an amp that can drive them. The Clear and Arya are still outside of my comfort zone for awhile. This Celestee is at an interesting price-point, though. I'd eventually like to have a complementary closed-back headphone. The Fostex TH-X00 and Pioneer SE-Monitor 5 have filled that role previously. Right now, I've just been using the HD-650 for awhile since they're affordable, scale well, and don't have any majorly intolerable flaws (Although they could do certain things better).

 

[nightaurora]

I wonder if one can even tell the difference between Celestee, Radiance or Elegia once EQ'ed as they all use the same driver.

Unsurprising the Stellia would have a bit more resolution, since the driver is supposed to be a lot lighter and a lot more stiff.

On another note, I wonder if there is much difference in the earpad material between Celestee and Radiance, as they both seem to use the standard Focal design of leather on outside + fiber on the inside (I'd expect the sound to be similar btw the two). However, the Elegias use microfiber on the whole pad, so that probably makes it sound different.

I'd love to get a review where someone roll the Elegia and Radiance pads on the Celestee and 1) measure the difference 2) report the subjective difference in sound.

 

[doraymon]

I owned and loved the Clear before moving up to the Utopias.
FWIW, the Clear are the only headphones I would consider to own together with the Utopias as a second pair.
Their airiness is phenomenal, I miss them and was actually very close to buy them again...

 

[lacedup]

Just pre-ordered these but I own Clears and almost having second thoughts, am not all that versed in FR etc but do they seem too similar aside from open/closed for it to be worth it? Also paying $200 more than I did for my Clears

 

[dan3952]

If you want more authority at 90 Hz and below than the Clears offer, and you want a second closed back headphone to listen to classic rock, metal or techno, the extra midrange detail the Clears offer, may not be that enjoyable for those genres. So yes, it would be worth it to me. Alternately, you could wait for a used Stellia, then sell off your other headphones, and just use that one.

Just pre-ordered these but I own Clears and almost having second thoughts, am not all that versed in FR etc but do they seem too similar aside from open/closed for it to be worth it? Also paying $200 more than I did for my Clears

 

[cpurdy]

I had a good laugh when I had clicked on Dan Clark Audio: they don't have any new products to offer that would interest me, just new marketing babble: their aging Ether closed is still $1800, and they had raised the price of the Ether 2 to $2300, without changing it. They also have an obsession with cables, clicking on that pulldown, gave me a headache. It's a much smaller company than Focal, I know.

I have one of those "aging" Ether closed. I've yet to find a better closed headphone. I love the SQ, the sound seal, and the pads work well for my head. (As with any decent closed back headphone, I would love them to be lighter, but they're still pretty manageable.) I also have the Focal Elegia, picked up on a whim, and it's not even a fair fight -- the Ether is easily 10x the better of the Elegia. (Far different driver design, so it's somewhat apples and oranges.) I haven't tried the Clear, which would hopefully be a better compare, but since a friend recently switched from the Utopias to the Ether C Flow (and sold his prized Utopias after trying the Ether), I'm going to guess that the Clear won't particularly excite me.

At any rate, Dan Clark is a small, audiophile-focused manufacture with great service. That's pretty special. I wouldn't expect him to be churning out new products a few times a year.

 

[descloud]

I wonder if one can even tell the difference between Celestee, Radiance or Elegia once EQ'ed as they all use the same driver.

If EQ'd to the same target curve, I speculate it might be hard to distinguish them on a blind test. I have the Elegia (EQ it to my target curve) and I intend on getting the Celestee at make comparisons at some point in the future.

I'd love to get a review where someone roll the Elegia and Radiance pads on the Celestee and 1) measure the difference 2) report the subjective difference in sound.

Maybe hit up Resolve from the headphone show and see if he can do it. I doubt he still has the Radiance though as I recall it was only a loaner unit.

 

[dan3952]

I will be looking for Clear vs Ether 1.1 and Ether C comparisons online; the Clears being the first high end headphone I had owned.

I know of some used Ether 1.1's and Ether C's available at this time. The Clears are a few years old now too, but had just got marked down to $1300 on HeadAmp. The Ether C is currently going for $1799 with cable; it seems they had raised the price by $200 since 2016 just to cover their own inflation.

It would be difficult to find something heavier than my LCD-3s, but they offer better dynamics than any other planar I've heard. Midrange detail is below the Clears and probably either of the Ethers as well.

I have one of those "aging" Ether closed. I've yet to find a better closed headphone. I love the SQ, the sound seal, and the pads work well for my head. (As with any decent closed back headphone, I would love them to be lighter, but they're still pretty manageable.) I also have the Focal Elegia, picked up on a whim, and it's not even a fair fight -- the Ether is easily 10x the better of the Elegia. (Far different driver design, so it's somewhat apples and oranges.) I haven't tried the Clear, which would hopefully be a better compare, but since a friend recently switched from the Utopias to the Ether C Flow (and sold his prized Utopias after trying the Ether), I'm going to guess that the Clear won't particularly excite me.

At any rate, Dan Clark is a small, audiophile-focused manufacture with great service. That's pretty special. I wouldn't expect him to be churning out new products a few times a year.

 

[n2413]

I've had the Clears before, and think they are worth $1500. I wouldn't personally look at any Focal product below their price point, as it's doubtful that any of them can match their level of micro detail. These are capitalists who charge what the market will bear for their products. I take my music seriously, and would rather pay $500 more, than spend two years wondering if I should have splurged for the next model up.

I had the Clears too, paired with the Focal Arche, I 'liked' them but didn't love them, I sold both and currently run Diana V2 w/ Burson Conductor 3x, I'm in love. Naim went the same way with all that Muso crap, I get it, you have to cater to masses but you're also irritating your original base by diluting the brand for more consumers. $1000 is a lot of money, but it's not in the true hi-end audio space, I'm confused what market Focal is trying to attract, like you, aesthetics is absolute last of my list for headphones, couldn't care if they were bright pink with hearts on if they sounded good.

Side, note, I'm only one person, but Focal has the worst customer service I've experienced, 9 months to even respond to various emails, the response being, 'we'll look into it'.

 

[dan3952]

I remember listening to Focal speakers over the years, and hadn't liked their aluminum dome tweeters, thinking they had sounded too "cold, fatiguing and brassy" especially with percussion. At least there's less of it now that I can only hear to 13 kHz! That's kind of where I was at with the Clears. Although they are very resolving, they had been too lively for me with certain songs. Audezes sound warmer in comparison. I hadn't found imaging and soundstage with the Clears, to be as good as the HiFiMan Aryas, which I had got next, at about the same price. HE-1000 and the 'phones derived from it, are really something when you hear them for the first time, they have this wispy air to them.

I don't think that Arche is worth $2500, and the product was pretty much a flop to me, especially with new Chinese competition coming online (look at Shenzhen Audio). It was mostly about marketing.

I had ended up taking only the Shure SRH-1540's with me across the country, as they had more "utilitarian" packaging (I wouldn't expect anything else from a company whose traditional business line is selling to mixing and mastering professionals who have to lug their gear around a lot). Now I have about the heaviest headphones out there: the LCD-3's. I'm pretty sure in their pelican case, they still take up less space than the Clears did, in their double box and with their unnecessary balanced cable. Silly.

 

[cpurdy]

I will be looking for Clear vs Ether 1.1 and Ether C comparisons online; the Clears being the first high end headphone I had owned.

I know of some used Ether 1.1's and Ether C's available at this time. The Clears are a few years old now too, but had just got marked down to $1300 on HeadAmp. The Ether C is currently going for $1799 with cable; it seems they had raised the price by $200 since 2016 just to cover their own inflation.

It would be difficult to find something heavier than my LCD-3s, but they offer better dynamics than any other planar I've heard. Midrange detail is below the Clears and probably either of the Ethers as well.

Definitely try them out in person if you can. The biggest issue that I have with the Focals is that they are missing a number of registers at low volume, and I really like listening at super ultra low volume. (As a musician wannabe, I treasure my ears.) Now, when I crank up the Focals, they do sound great. (WA5-LE amp.)

The Ethers have been very good to me. I still have basically no complaints with them. And my co-workers love the silence. The Ethers are a small production run headphone, though, so there can be some minor variability in fit and finish, from what I've read. But that's exactly what you'd expect from a relatively small and specialized shop. (Also, Drop sells them now, and I have no idea if there is any difference between the Drop version and the original.)

In the end, though, no one else's opinion matters. You're going to find something that is comfortable and sounds good to you, and that's what matters the most. Good luck

 

[killaHz]

That lower midrange suckout of the celestee doesn't look nice.

Definitely not for cello lovers.

 

[Drokk]

Interesting stuff! Glad to see a new lineup coming out from focal. Could use a closed back in my roster.

 

[pkcpga]

I will be looking for Clear vs Ether 1.1 and Ether C comparisons online; the Clears being the first high end headphone I had owned.

I know of some used Ether 1.1's and Ether C's available at this time. The Clears are a few years old now too, but had just got marked down to $1300 on HeadAmp. The Ether C is currently going for $1799 with cable; it seems they had raised the price by $200 since 2016 just to cover their own inflation.

It would be difficult to find something heavier than my LCD-3s, but they offer better dynamics than any other planar I've heard. Midrange detail is below the Clears and probably either of the Ethers as well.

Definitely listen to the Dan Clark Ethers, the C or closed version has a recessed mid range (vocals) and bass reverb that I find not acceptable. It’s a very old design headphone with many others from ZMF or Audeze passing it in sound quality. If you like your LCD 3s you should try Rosson Audio Rad 0, definitely a more modern and improved version. The Dan Clark C is definitely more V shaped and recessed in the mids while still not having great authority in the sub bass area, definitely give a listen before buying. They were a big let down for myself, I own the lcd XC, Stellia and Verite Closed for closed headphones. A bunch of open headphones, lcd 4, Utopia, hd800s, grados. I’d say my most listened to currently is Verite Closed and lcd 4. My next purchase will be the Rad 0, definitely enjoyed them. Focal definitely has its own sound, both the Utopia and Stellia are very detailed with great bass and separation but neither has the air quality that the ZMF and Audeze’s have while still keeping the bass slam I like. If you get a chance listen to the Focals with a tube amp, they seem to gain some texture and air with my tube amp. I personally think the Utopias sound much better through a tube amp.

 

[LeMat]

At first glance, these Celestee look like a good deal! Trickled down tech from the stellia. Stellia is 2k more expensive for what? Beryllium over Mg/Al driver, and a more luxurious packaging incl. an extra cable + maybe some more refined material. That's a very hefty price to pay for not much difference. Price gap between those 2 models should be much narrower IMO.
It's actually interesting to put those views side by side