Focal Celestee Wired Headphones Review

Tom Martin reviews the closed-back wired FOCAL Celestee headphones.
Bathys Headphones Review:
• Focal's Bathys Hi-Fi B...
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[@nielsoe8970]

Having owned the Celestees for about four months I can say that this was a very accurate description of their sound so hats off.

[@igorgorbatovsky6844]

Thank you for the review! It was a pleasure to listen to it from the beginning to the end.

[@razisn]

Using them with my Mojo2 I had to adjust Mojo2's eq to make them sound good for my ears. Settings used (from low shelf to high shelf on the Mojo2): +4 -2 +3 +2. You might want to try something similar if it is the Mojo2 that you have there. As you can see I lower the upper bass while I apply a smidge of a low bass shelf.. The mid-high boost and additional high shelf half compensate for their high frequency rolloff and half for my age.. The wireless Bathys come better tuned out of the box and they also offer an easy way for basic eq through their app. When used USB-wired in DAC mode the Bathys compete very well with the EQ'd Celestee but on technicalities (like detail resolution, soundstage and the ability to be bass boosted without noticeable distortion if one is into that) the Celestee are still a couple of notches ahead. Still, for most people and use cases I would recommend the Bathys if they are to have a single pair of closed backs because of their functionality, better comfort and better freq. response (in my view) out of the box. They are cheaper too..

[@thomasmartin2219]

Reasonable summary. Thanks. I tested them in opposite order of publishing, and agree the Bathys has many merits for many listeners.

[@905nite]

Wired headphones are the only way to go for the best and highest quality sound bar none! Bluetooth will not deliver the same quality no matter how much money is spent. Bluetooth cannot transfer enough data wirelessly for maximum sound quality. The difference can be heard with home and car audio as well.
Thanks for a great review. I will be buying these headphones. I just love the looks of the navy blue with the small touch of copper.

[@mikew9788]

I brought these as a closed back companion to my mg clears. The fit that bill perfectly, the clear mg are better but the celestee is very easy and pleasing to listen to. You cant always use open back headphones so these are great to have. I use an astell&kern kann alpha and it powers both headphones perfectly.

[@aceofspades6667]

Love my Celestees for office use. Pair it with an ifi go blu for commute via train and an ifi hip Dac 3 for desk/office use.

[@thomasmartin2219]

The Go blu seems impressively small.

[@aceofspades6667]

@@thomasmartin2219 it’s really a nice option for portable use. The xbass and xspace function give it just a hint of tone control if you find your music needs a boost. I use the tone controls rarely. The hip Dac 3 is a nice wired solution for the price if you’re in a work office environment

[@mikew9788]

I use mine with a astell&kern kann alpha, sounds incredible

[@gtrguyinaz]

Have only ever owned Grado headphones … the test for me was… We have owned a 7 foot Steinway piano for 30 years … both speakers and headphones should replicate this sound … If not then they may sound fabulously but not be accurate.. Some very expensive products do sound great but are not accurate..

[@thomasmartin2219]

Indeed. That’s what we call ‘the absolute sound’ which is the sound of real instruments played in real spaces, and is the reference used for our reviews. Of course, many listeners would want equipment to reproduce a variety of instruments and voices well, but your point is a good one in that it helps to use instruments we are familiar with.

[@silverssonyoutube8438]

These are 3k in Australia

[@ericstirling7537]

Addicted to Sound has them for $400 USD right now. Only ships to Australia and NZ.

[@gabemartinez1012]

I am using the ifi Zan Dac v2, and think It needs a little more bass. What would recommend to get more bass?

[@gadymarcus2362]

Bella/Linda.😮😮😮😮😮😮💪

[@Icecold_Art]

Uhm LDAC has high bit rate over BT technology so… anyhow, I’m wondering how these will stack against their newest Azurys model