Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Yes, Focal’s new $990 Celestee headphones are ‘affordable’

Focal Celestee Headphones
Focal

Everything is relative. That’s the only way you can look at French audio brand, Focal’s gorgeous new Celestee headphones — with their nearly $1,000 price — and keep a straight face. That’s because, in the world of audiophile gear, you don’t compare the wired-only Celestee to wireless models like Sony’s WH-1000XM4, or even Apple’s very expensive AirPods Max. Instead, you must compare them to other ultra-high-end headphones, like Focal’s Stellia — a set of cans that look identical to the Celestee, but which cost just shy of $3,000. Suddenly, $990 seems like a pretty good deal.

When Digital Trends got a chance to get some ears-on time with Stellia in 2019, our reviewer was mightily impressed by how these closed-back headphones managed to deliver the kind of listening dynamics that are normally associated with open-back models. “Clear, detailed, and beautiful, but they’re also spectacularly open,” he noted, “with a wide and airy soundstage that helps dispel the idea that closed-back headphones have to sound, well, closed.”

Focal Celestee Headphones
Focal

With the considerably less expensive Celestee, Focal is attempting to deliver a similar listening experience, at a more accessible (again, relatively) price. Much of the design and technology that Focal employed for the Stellia returns in the Celestee. The choice of luxury materials like semi-aniline leather, aluminum, and stainless steel define the contours of the Celestee. Their ear-cushions are wrapped in leather, which is not only comfortable, but practical, too: It helps seal out external sounds.

Recommended Videos

But the deep, amber of the Stellia’s Cognac color has been replaced with a more understated navy, with copper accents. “Navy is the new Black,” claims Doris Bölck, the designer and product colorist that consulted with Focal on the Celestee. “Dark blue is a versatile and timeless color that has been increasing in popularity. By choosing Navy Blue, we are adding a sophisticated, sumptuous feel to the headphones.”

The biggest difference between the Stellia and the Celestee, other than color and grades of leather, is the construction of the 40mm drivers that sit deep within those earcups. The Stellia’s drivers use pure beryllium, which is the lightest of all metals, yet is stronger than steel. It’s also very expensive, with prices that can range from $85 to $530 per 100 grams.

The Celestee, by contrast, uses drivers made from a considerably less exotic mix of aluminum and magnesium. Just how much of a difference this makes to the Celestee’s sound is something we won’t know until we hear them.

Despite the Celestee’s high price and audiophile pedigree, Focal has designed them to work with smartphones (assuming yours still has a headphone jack) and portable audio players like the Astell&Kern SR25, by giving the drivers a low, 35 Ohms impedance.

The Celestee ships with a carrying case, a 4-foot cable with a 1/8-inch unbalanced connector, and a 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch adapter. You’ll be able to buy them starting in February.

Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…
Sennheiser’s new budget-friendly headphones get a very high-end feature
Sennheiser Accentum wireless headphones in black and white colors.

Sennheiser's new Accentum wireless noise-canceling headphones look a lot like its top-of-the-line $380 Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless headphones. And while they have similar features, the Accentum are priced at $180 and can do something the Momentum 4 can't: they accept lossless digital audio via their USB-C port. The black version is up for preorder on September 25 and is expected to ship starting on October 4, while the white version begins shipping in late November. Both models will be available at select retailers and at sennheiser-hearing.com.

The Accentum are the successors to Sennheiser's 2020 HD 450 BT, and the company's approach to this more affordable product line remains the same -- preserve as many features from the Momentum line as possible while keeping the price under $200. Needless to say, you can't do this without some trade-offs. The Accentum don't come with a carry case or any kind of analog input. They use only physical controls, not touch controls, and they don't have wear sensors for auto-pausing your tunes when you remove them.

Read more
Sony goes open-back with the MDR-MV1 studio monitors designed for spatial audio
Sony MDR-MV1 open-back studio headphones.

Sony's Pro division has just released a new set of wired studio monitors, the $400 MDR-MV1, a set of open-back headphones that Sony says have been designed specifically to aid in the production of spatial audio. They'll be available later in April through Sony's Pro website and authorized Sony dealers.

Sony's professional monitors have been favorites of the music industry for years, and have also found a home among discerning audiophiles. But what makes the MDR-MV1 unusual as far as Sony cans go is their open-back design. With almost no exceptions (save for the discontinued Qualia 010 and MDR-SA5000), Sony heavily favors closed-back designs, which it uses on everything from the you can grab at any Walmart, all the way up to its top noise-canceling WH-1000XM5 and wired units that cost north of $1,000.

Read more
Rode’s NTH-100M headphones are built for gamers
Rode NTH-100M headset.

Rode, the Australian company best known for its high-quality microphones, has released a new version of its NTH-100 studio headphones that comes equipped with a boom mic for gaming -- or any other voice-based activities. The NTH-100M is priced at $189, a $40 premium on the price of the $149 NTH-100. The NTH-100M is available starting February 1, 2023.

Cleverly, the NTH-100M are actually just the original NTH-100 but packaged with the additional boom mic. Existing NTH-100 owners can convert their headphones into a set of NTH-100M by buying the NTH-Mic separately, which costs $59.

Read more