[yrstruly]

Celestee is almost double the Azurys price so not similar price point

Ah well not in the UK at least - Celestee can be had for £600 here. So I would regard this as a similar price point. As I said, the opinions were relative. I mentioned the Liric 2 lacked wow factor for its price.

Will be interesting to see how well the Azurys do. Looks like the Hadenys is getting a fair amount of praise.

 

[mainguy]

Ah well not in the UK at least - Celestee can be had for £600 here. So I would regard this as a similar price point. As I said, the opinions were relative. I mentioned the Liric 2 lacked wow factor for its price.

Will be interesting to see how well the Azurys do. Looks like the Hadenys is getting a fair amount of praise.

Yeah Celestee has dropped a lot here since launch, I saw a pair on Richersounds clearance for £499 the other day.

My gut feeling is Hadenys will become a hit and probably the new sub 1k goto for a lot of people.

Azurys is a bit less of an interesting arrival with Bathys around, and Bathys already got reasonably close to Celestee/Elegia for a lot of people...That said I do want to try Azurys and write up a proper comparison to the Bathys

 

[yrstruly]

Yeah Celestee has dropped a lot here since launch, I saw a pair on Richersounds clearance for £499 the other day.

My gut feeling is Hadenys will become a hit and probably the new sub 1k goto for a lot of people.

Azurys is a bit less of an interesting arrival with Bathys around, and Bathys already got reasonably close to Celestee/Elegia for a lot of people...That said I do want to try Azurys and write up a proper comparison to the Bathys

Damn - wish I'd caught that Richersounds deal! I really dig the Celestee.

Yeah agree re the Hadenys. Its colour scheme and styling is v swish that's for sure.

 

[kman1211]

Ah well not in the UK at least - Celestee can be had for £600 here. So I would regard this as a similar price point. As I said, the opinions were relative. I mentioned the Liric 2 lacked wow factor for its price.

Will be interesting to see how well the Azurys do. Looks like the Hadenys is getting a fair amount of praise.

Oh that makes a lot more sense then, for new pairs of Celestee's in the states they cost $999; whereas the Azurys is $549. If they are that close in price there in the UK then does make sense to compare them.

 

[yrstruly]

Oh that makes a lot more sense then, for new pairs of Celestee's in the states they cost $999; whereas the Azurys is $549. If they are that close in price there in the UK then does make sense to compare them.

Yeah fair enough.

Fwiw, wasn't meaning to bash the Azurys. I think they have a lot going for them. It was just a slight quirk in the upper mids that I spotted which I had a sense might bother me over time. The bass response was quite nice - good detail and impact.

 

[kman1211]

Yeah fair enough.

Fwiw, wasn't meaning to bash the Azurys. I think they have a lot going for them. It was just a slight quirk in the upper mids that I spotted which I had a sense might bother me over time. The bass response was quite nice - good detail and impact.

Yeah I'm quite sensitive to upper mids (my HD 650 is sometimes too much for me), so will have to see if it bothers me when I get my Azurys in and after break-in. I did see in the headphones.com review they mentioned some quirks in the upper mids on both the Azurys and to a lesser degree the Hadenys.

Yeah Celestee has dropped a lot here since launch, I saw a pair on Richersounds clearance for £499 the other day.

My gut feeling is Hadenys will become a hit and probably the new sub 1k goto for a lot of people.

Azurys is a bit less of an interesting arrival with Bathys around, and Bathys already got reasonably close to Celestee/Elegia for a lot of people...That said I do want to try Azurys and write up a proper comparison to the Bathys

I think it does depend where you live on the prices. But I do see the Hadenys becoming more popular due to it being open back and it seems to have a consensus so far it sounds better. Which makes since due to it's $150 price premium over the Azurys (indicates Focal rates it higher) and the fact it's open-back.

I'm personally looking at the Azurys as an upgrade to the Beyer DT 700 Pro X and hope it is one.

 

[mainguy]

Damn - wish I'd caught that Richersounds deal! I really dig the Celestee.

Yeah agree re the Hadenys. Its colour scheme and styling is v swish that's for sure.

I concur, Celestee is absolutely gorgeous along with the solid sound.

I would have really liked a slightly more premium portable closed back that had the Celestee/Stellia design but with an Azurys footprint. They're just such amazing looking cans i wouldn't mind wearing them out

 

[yrstruly]

Yeah I'm quite sensitive to upper mids (my HD 650 is sometimes too much for me), so will have to see if it bothers me when I get my Azurys in and after break-in. I did see in the headphones.com review they mentioned some quirks in the upper mids on both the Azurys and to a lesser degree the Hadenys.

I think upper mids are generally a bit contentious across the entire Focal line (especially with the Stellia). It's a trade off for the clarity and immediacy Focal are known for I suppose.

I concur, Celestee is absolutely gorgeous along with the solid sound.

I would have really liked a slightly more premium portable closed back that had the Celestee/Stellia design but with an Azurys footprint. They're just such amazing looking cans i wouldn't mind wearing them out

That would be the sweet spot for sure. The Azurys would definitely be easy to use out and about (as far as wired closed backs go). You have your P9s in the meantime I guess!

 

[kman1211]

I think upper mids are generally a bit contentious across the entire Focal line (especially with the Stellia). It's a trade off for the clarity and immediacy Focal are known for I suppose.

That would be the sweet spot for sure. The Azurys would definitely be easy to use out and about (as far as wired closed backs go). You have your P9s in the meantime I guess!

I've never owned a Focal so the Azurys will be my first. I heard the Elear and Utopia OG many years ago so have an idea of the Focal sound signature but never heard any of the closed-back pairs. It's possible they won't bother me in the upper mids, even if a headphone has distinct or prominent upper mids doesn't necessarily means it will bother me, so it's a wait and see game for me.

 

[yrstruly]

I've never owned a Focal so the Azurys will be my first. I heard the Elear and Utopia OG many years ago so have an idea of the Focal sound signature but never heard any of the closed-back pairs. It's possible they won't bother me in the upper mids, even if a headphone has distinct or prominent upper mids doesn't necessarily means it will bother me, so it's a wait and see game for me.

Might be worth you trying the Elegia too? Can be had for good prices (definitely not one to blind buy though as has a love-or-hate-it tuning).

 

[mainguy]

I've never owned a Focal so the Azurys will be my first. I heard the Elear and Utopia OG many years ago so have an idea of the Focal sound signature but never heard any of the closed-back pairs. It's possible they won't bother me in the upper mids, even if a headphone has distinct or prominent upper mids doesn't necessarily means it will bother me, so it's a wait and see game for me.

If it will bother you it'll be on vocals is my bet. It's the Achilles heel of Focals. They all have it to differing degree, and it makes the timbre of voices and some natural instruments sound off to some people. Tuning really changes with Focals depending on clamp too, so you may get lucky.

Aside from that I think they're generally very good, punchy and intense headphones for the most part. For me the other strengths are so good that weakness i notice are offset, and I only really notice it in the closed backs anyway.

The Elegia in particular is very good value. I'd go so far as to say the best value closed back on the market, I got my pair for just over £200.

But if Azurys just sit around Bathys performance when wired that's great. Bathys sound really good wired.

 

[kman1211]

Might be worth you trying the Elegia too? Can be had for good prices (definitely not one to blind buy though as has a love-or-hate-it tuning).

I can handle love/hate tunings a lot of times, though it depends on the tuning. I'll consider them if I find a really good deal on them, but I did already order the Azurys and I'm more likely to get an open Focal if I get another Focal. My favorite headphone is the uniquely tuned T1 Gen 3 so not unfamiliar with unique sound signatures. A big reason I went for the Azurys is the new lighter form factor. I had some issues with weight and headband comfort on the bigger Focals which is a big reason I never got a Focal in the past.

If it will bother you it'll be on vocals is my bet. It's the Achilles heel of Focals. They all have it to differing degree, and it makes the timbre of voices and some natural instruments sound off to some people. Tuning really changes with Focals depending on clamp too, so you may get lucky.

Aside from that I think they're generally very good, punchy and intense headphones for the most part. For me the other strengths are so good that weakness i notice are offset, and I only really notice it in the closed backs anyway.

The Elegia in particular is very good value. I'd go so far as to say the best value closed back on the market, I got my pair for just over £200.

But if Azurys just sit around Bathys performance when wired that's great. Bathys sound really good wired.

I don't recall having problems with the vocals on the Elear or the Utopia OG, but I never spent a lot of time with either so long-term use may or may not bother me. In terms of what other brands of headphones I'm used to, it's mostly Beyers, Senns, and Audio-Technica and while I like all of those my preference lies more towards Beyers, especially those with more relaxed upper regions compared to their norm. I haven't really gotten into planars as they never really sounded quite right to me, but I haven't listened to any of the newer releases.

I am curious to see impressions of the Azurys compared to the Bathys.

 

[Hypops]

I can handle love/hate tunings a lot of times, though it depends on the tuning. I'll consider them if I find a really good deal on them, but I did already order the Azurys and I'm more likely to get an open Focal if I get another Focal. My favorite headphone is the uniquely tuned T1 Gen 3 so not unfamiliar with unique sound signatures. A big reason I went for the Azurys is the new lighter form factor. I had some issues with weight and headband comfort on the bigger Focals which is a big reason I never got a Focal in the past.

As far as unusual tunings go, the Elegia are inoffensive. Very low pinna gain and relaxed treble, much more so than any other of Focal's recent releases. Some folks find them muffled and recessed or find the bass a bit boomy (with the right recordings, they sound great to me). As for comfort, I know that some folks get a hotspot right at the top of their head with the Elegia/Elex/Bathys/etc (they fit my head perfectly). The new line of Focals (Azurys, etc) fit differently. Haven't tried them myself, so I don't know how they compare fit-wise. All I know is that they're smaller and lighter.

 

[ADUHF]

Waiting to see how the new Focal closed-back compares. Should be an interesting show down between these two for the attention. So far the Focal is looking good from headfi youtube first look impressions

I will look at just about anything that has the potential to be a new over-ear studio reference. But my budget is still pretty limited. And the HD620S would probably be a stretch for me. I'd rather save most of my bucks for some neutral speakers and a good open headphone at this point.

The new Focals look like a step in the right direction though. And the HD620S looks at least in the ballpark for the type of sound sig I'd want for a new closed back. So I will certainly give it some consideration. I'd like to see some raw measurements on a HBK 5128 HATS though, to get a better idea of its out of box FR.

 

[Waddiewadkins]

I will look at just about anything that has the potential to be a new over-ear studio reference. But my budget is still pretty limited. And the HD620S would probably be a stretch for me. I'd rather save most of my bucks for some neutral speakers and a good open headphone at this point.

The new Focals look like a step in the right direction though. And the HD620S looks at least in the ballpark for the type of sound sig I'd want for a new closed back. So I will certainly give it some consideration. I'd like to see some raw measurements on a HBK 5128 HATS though, to get a better idea of its out of box FR.

Just to throw out there a budget pick, a very well tuned studio cb headphone with clean elevated bass Shure 840a(update of 840) 170 -usd, rocked it all winter,3m cable only,light. Coincidentally Conan O'brien needs a friend use it ,its fun for me to look at. at...(fwiw,openback sidenote I'm hovering over ananda nano looks the best for 600!)