Focal Celestee Review & Why I Sold the Stellia!

[@sjqideez6626]

Probably the best Celestee review I’ve seen, smashed it! Thank you.

[@RayCabrera1]

Great review, I really enjoy the Celestee, they are my favorite closed back headphone. I actually sold them originally to buy the supposedly better a Radiance, but I really did not enjoy the Radiance at all. I thought the Celestee were more resolving and had a clear punchy bass, where I thought that the Radiance had more of a bloated bass and a less defined sound. I also had the Audeze LCD-XC, but did struggle a bit with the weight so sold them and went back to the Celestee. I am very happy with them.

[@AVICK_22]

Today I was at store testing not only Celestee but also Stellia and many others. Of course UTOPIA and Meze 109 Pro was the best sounding for me, but I needed a closed back. So finally I bought the Celestee. It is true that you can't compare those headphones at a store listening for half an hour or even 1 hour. I'm not an expert at all but I found Celestee so close to Stellia in sound, with Stellia providing a bit more detail to me, beryllium sounds like that, I also have a FiiO FDX and sound similar. But sounds Stellia 3 times better? Not at all for me. In terms of design, despite of colours and leathers used, both are very confortable, so Celestee was my choice and to be even better, now is at 799€. Thanks for that video and nice review!

[@aceofspades6667]

yep got mine on HF for $500 and it's been a wonderful option for my office and commuting on light rail. The +'s it's comfortable, well built, neutral tuning, great isolation, very low sound bleed, and easy to drive. The -'s the slam could be better, the stage is small (fine for some music), sometimes has a metallic timbre but this can be mitigated with correct source gear.

[@donvittoriosierra]

Wow this reviewing style is second to none. This is the way to do reviews! I love the way you have comparisons to other cans and the harman target when talking about the different aspects of the sound. Some other reviewers do that as well but somehow I feel you do it better making it more relatable to me. I don't like pure harman as well and also find it shouty and a little bloated in the lower bass. Air is also slightly lacking in harman as well IMO. You are the first reviewer to convey this much detail in describing the celestee. Keep up the good work!!!

[@donvittoriosierra]

With that said, on a pure sonic enjoyment level, do you like these more than the clear?

[@amplifyaudioreviews]

@@donvittoriosierra Probably equally

[@jfleysh]

I think it’s because he gets to the point without staring at technical charts which really only .01% of the audiophile community cares about

[@Monsoon1030]

Great review! Speaking for myself here, but I don’t mind your longer format videos at all. Loving my Celestees for office and on the go! They did require a little break-in on my set, but now they are on my keeper list for sure.

[@BillNepill]

yes, finally a proper mic! Looking forward to more reviews

[@cdotwu]

Great review! Looking forward to trying this out in the future after the Elegia left a bad taste in my mouth for Focal Closed backs

[@One-Two_swift-kickbox]

I really disliked the Elegias when I first got them, I thought the bass was weak and they sounded tinny overall. But then I did some research and got the Dekoni Custom pads. They're now my favourite headphones for EDM music. The leather pads completely transformed them away from the disappointing sound with the stock velour pads.

[@falcodarkzz]

Man I had Celestee, and stupidly tried Stellia at a store. Omg, the difference, for me, was just wild. I didn't expect such a jump and eventually got the Stellia. Imo there is zero contest, and it's not close. Each to their own.

[@amplifyaudioreviews]

Zero contest in terms of what? Technical performance yes which I do mention. But too often I feel audiophiles get carried away by technical performance at first blush. A quick listen at a store is not the way to judge a headphone’s long-term appeal. I have owned the Stellia long-term and over time, tonality starts to matter. And its not uncommon for tonality to not be correlated with technical performance and price.

[@falcodarkzz]

@@amplifyaudioreviews I agree on the store comment. It's why I bought Stellia and had them alongside Celestee. Putting aside technical performance for a moment, I just find the Stellia far more immersive and involving. The presentation is on a much fuller stage to me, the timbre is smoother, the extra detail, the imaging, it all comes together to give more of a wow effect. I like stellia a lot more! For the focals I own Stellia > Clear >> Celestee personally.

[@amplifyaudioreviews]

@@falcodarkzz Okay. That's cool then.

[@risumorino1876]

@@amplifyaudioreviews If tonality matters then why not just EQ the stellia?

[@Marco-sc6fe]

Hey dude - big fan of your reviews. Agree with pretty much everything you said in this vid - Celestee is fairly overlooked I think and a really solid package overall. The mids have a sweet/lush quality to them that I really like, and these have the usual Focal immediacy/dynamics in spades. Probably the closest to a closed back Clear so far. Personally I don't mind the smaller soundstage (which is probably overstated by people online) on these since these things do some cool things with layering and separation. Do you still own these / still using them for your portable solution? I would urge you to do give the Denon D9200 a go - they are really quite special in terms of high end closed backs.

[@А.В-ф9й]

Great approach to reviewing 👍🏻 and every new one gets better and better, well done!

[@amplifyaudioreviews]

Thanks

[@hansgustafianto5136]

Great review! Have you tried Mark Levinson 5909 and compared it to Celestee? Would love to see your impression of them!

[@MrBazsi888]

5909 has internal noise.

[@risumorino1876]

Hi, I have a serious question. If Stellia is the more resolving headphone then isn't it more viable to EQ the stellia into the warm V-shape you like Radiance for? Maybe add a bass shelf and raise mids a bit and voila, a superior Radiance, right? Or is that not how it works?

[@Reticuli]

I need that Fletcher Munson-style Harman hump, though, because of hearing damage. I think Harman bass is probably excessive, though, and like tailored to bass heads. If you have good hearing, I'm sure this Celestee is a good match, though.

[@airricvansank7714]

Really enjoyed this review. Do you have a suggestion for a headphone around $1k for techno/trance music? Been looking at the Celestee.

[@juzi68]

Hi AAS. I just found your channel and subscribed Thanks for the authenticity and knowledge which shines through. Question on Focal Radiance vs Celestee. I'll cut right to the chase. Is the $300 dollars difference worth it?

[@amplifyaudioreviews]

Hey buddy. I think some prefer the Celestee if you like a more neutral tuning but others may prefer the Radiance if you prefer a warmer and smoother tuning. Radiance to me had a bit too much subbass.

[@chungang7037]

These are 1300$ usually in Korea, they went on sale for 500$ so I took a chance and got them. I suspect they have some new products on the way~

[@96BlackBirdOne]

Have you heard the Elegia? If so, would you say this is a better headphone? I got the Elegias not too long ago. I am having to send them back to Focal for a repair on the headband. Sounds like a piece of metal is rattling around inside the headband.

[@adamgreenhill110]

Elegia is very flawed in many ways. The Celestee fixed it really well. If you enjoy them don't worry - but the Celestee is a very good upgrade

[@dalejail]

have you tried radiance?

[@petrpulpytel]

Hi, thanks for great review👍, which should you take for EDM, Hiphop Electronic.. this or Radiance? thanks

[@aceofspades6667]

Radiance all the way for those genres.

[@ahmedshafiul3851]

Radiance is bassier but celestee is more balanced overall. If you only listen to said genres then radiance. Celestee for all round performance.

[@petrpulpytel]

thanks guys for your info, I have also planars, these are good for rock and metal, so the radiance will be better choice for me for edm and similar music

[@danieldavis3565]

That's just insane: trading the Stellia for the Celestee, mainly because getting asked in the office is annoying. Based on the review, the Stellia seems superior in all respects. Additionally, comparing the soundstage of the Clear and the Celestee as similiar seems weird, as all tests clearly show that the Celestee has almost no soundstage (quite narrow) and the Clear has a mediocre soundstage (slightly below the DT 1990, which is already not great).

[@chungang7037]

I thought it would be an issue but the Celestee's soundstage isn't a problem because the imaging is quite nice and most instruments are still separated, and for intimate music with only a few instruments they are lovely. On the other end of the spectrum, I also have the HD800s which is wide but so wide it is distracting, interesting for disecting music but not as nice a presentation as the celestee.

[@eastgreenlander5016]

Give us back the long review 😁

[@coalregionrider18960]

Does anyone know if you could run these with a dragonfly cobalt ? I also have a 16 inch m2 max macbook pro. I listen to classic rock and metal and death metal and im looking for a new pair of headphones.

[@Oone1991]

Thanks for another excellent review!! I recently ordered a Sony MDR Z1 R and am waiting for it to be delivered. However, your review is now making me think whether Celestee would have been a better choice. I own the Hifiman Arya Stealth (btw, your review of the Aryas was spot on!) and they are my go to cans for technical performance and analytical listening sessions. For more relaxed and laidback sessions, I considered the Z1 Rs. Have you had the chance to listen to the Z1 Rs? If yes, how do they compare to the Celestee? Many thanks.

[@amplifyaudioreviews]

Hey man. Different flavors I would say. The Z1Rs are a lovely comfortable warm listen. I find the Celestee more accurate and balanced.

[@Egamaiden]

I owned the Z1Rs for a couple of years and they're fantastic, great build quality and amazing bass reproduction, but I ended up getting bored of the too recessed mids and the too warm overall tonality. I recently got myself a pair of Celestees and couldn't be happier, extremely beautiful and pretty good frequency response, soundstage for classical music (especially symphonic pieces) can be a little bit claustrophobic though, for other genres soundstage is more than fine for a closed back.

[@amplifyaudioreviews]

@@Egamaiden Agree with your impressions a 100%

[@Oone1991]

@@amplifyaudioreviews Many thanks for the response. :)

[@Oone1991]

@@Egamaiden Many thanks for the response! :)

[@marchaberberger4464]

Man, I am always complaining about selling my Stellias. I haven’t heard the Celestee but love the look so much. That blue is stunning. Does the Stellia really sound so much money better? I don‘t know. Selling Stellias = buying Celestee, Questyle M 15 and do a short trip with the family. Hmmm… PS. Oh… Sennheiser ie600 would also be in the budget. Holy….

[@adamgreenhill110]

I'm in the same boat! I sold my Stellias and regretted it. I might buy another, but I might buy Celestee instead (they look amazing). For technicalities I don't think Stellia can be matched - it's insanely technical yet smooth, lush and relaxing too

[@gwapster13]

I feel like the Radiance is still the most balanced Focal headphone currently. Celestee is really very similar, though. The common downside of all Focal closed backs, to me at least, is an apparent narrow "null" around 5.5 to 6KHz (not necessarily a bad thing, btw), which weirdly enough I don't see in measurements published, but very audible to me (I confirmed this using PEQ using the narrowest possible Q setting). Might be the seal or something, but definitely only Focals exhibit this behavior on my head. Do you notice this too?

[@amplifyaudioreviews]

I agree

[@robertosotocampos5394]

In a very short audition against the focal clear it seemed to me that there was something wrong or not appropriate. It could be because it was closed, but I don't know, something was missing, it not was the base.

[@One-Two_swift-kickbox]

I have both and I agree. The Celestee doesn't sound right to me, but I'm going to EQ and pad roll to see if I like it in another configuration. I love the Clears stock.

[@Reeeepicheep]

Which is your preferred closed back between Celeste and Sundara Closed?

[@anarchohelenism]

You may be the first person i've seen review this headphone to say Celestee correctly lol

[@MrBazsi888]

please tell me how tu burn in a focal headphone.

[@One-Two_swift-kickbox]

Zippo

[@Maaruks]

Isnt Stellia better than Celestee ? I sold my Stellia because I bought the VC.

[@amplifyaudioreviews]

It is I would say. Overall better. I prefer the Celeste because I like the tuning and I worry I'll damage the Stellias if I take it to the office too often lol.

[@Maaruks]

@@amplifyaudioreviews ok, I was using my Stellia in the office

[@amplifyaudioreviews]

@@Maaruks Thats cool. The guy I sold it to uses it regularly in the office.

[@mobcrusher4193]

are you indian?