Focal Celestee – Savoir-faire in Audio

Focal Celestee, a true high-end headphone that combines elegant design with remarkable sound. Equipped with the latest technologies from the French specialist Focal JMLab, they are aimed at users who want nothing less than the best.

Like so many other loudspeaker specialists, the French company Focal JMLab has also dedicated itself to the headphone sector for years, since 2012 to be precise. It is noticeable that the company has deliberately turned to the premium segment, which is impressively demonstrated by numerous outstanding headphones.

This also applies to the latest model that Focal JMLab now presents with the new Focal Celestee.

The Focal Celestee is nothing less than a true high-end headphone, according to the French manufacturer Focal JMLab, which also states that remarkable sound is once again combined with elegant design to meet even the highest demands. The focus is on the latest technologies, whereby the new Focal Celestee is not only developed in France in the proven manner, but also actually manufactured in the main factory.

The new Focal Celestee is in the tradition of the Focal Stellia, which was presented at the beginning of 2019, according to Focal JMLab, whereby strong similarities in the design are definitely discernible.

Even though the new Focal Celestee, unlike the aforementioned Focal Stellia, is not finished in copper, but in a so-called navy blue finish, the copper accents provide an attractive contrast.

The base frame of the ear cup is made of aluminium, which, like the aluminium joints, has the aforementioned matt navy blue finish. The Focal Celestee is designed as a so-called Circuam-aural closed-back headphone, in short essentially as a closed headphone, whereby the outside of the ear cups has a grill made of stainless steel with leather coating. Here you will also find the manufacturer’s emblem, which is in matt copper, as well as the manufacturer’s name on the bracket and the cable’s connections. Even the grille inside the ear cup to protect the drivers is in copper.

“Navy is the new black. Dark blue is a versatile and timeless colour that is becoming increasingly popular. By choosing navy blue, we give the headphones a sophisticated, sumptuous look. The combination of this blue with copper and bronze accents is a trend influenced by interior and accessory design and is very popular in the watch and consumer electronics industry. These shades offer a very interesting and elegant alternative to the more traditional chrome and silver pieces.”

Doris Bölck, Designerin & Produkt-Coloristin

The temple is covered with leather on the outside, microfibre fabric on the inside and of course softly padded to guarantee a high wearing comfort. This also applies to the padding of the ear cup, where so-called semi-aniline leather is used, which is significantly more robust and resistant than natural leather. The padding is designed in such a way that it also guarantees a high level of wearing comfort, even for hours on end, while at the same time ensuring optimal shielding.

The ear cups, by the way, feature a construction that is supposed to prevent resonances that damage the sound and to avoid vibrations.

At the heart of the new Focal Celestee is a Focal 40 mm aluminium/magnesium M-shaped dome full-range driver specially optimised for these headphones. This enables the headphones to reproduce a frequency range between 5 Hz and 23 kHz, with an impedance of 35 ohms and a sensitivity of 105 dB. This makes it clear that the new Focal Celestee can be used with a wide variety of solutions without any problems and can thus be considered a true all-rounder.

The sound character of the new Focal Celestee is described by the French company as precise and well-balanced, and they also refer to a nice depth in the bass range.

Of course, the new Focal Celestee is equipped with a detachable cable, which is obligatory in this class. The delivery includes a cable with a practical length of 1.2 m, which uses OFC 24 AWG conductors and terminates in a 3.5 mm stereo mini jack plug. An adapter to 6.3 mm jack is also included. If you want a balanced connection, you can always use the appropriate cable.

A transport case is also part of the scope of delivery of the new Focal Celestee, which, according to the manufacturer, will be available in specialist shops within the next few days. The recommended retail price is € 999.

Getting to the point

The Focal Celestee is nothing less than a true high-end headphone, according to the French manufacturer Focal JMLab, which also states that remarkable sound is once again combined with elegant design to meet even the highest demands. The focus is on the latest technologies, whereby the new Focal Celestee is not only developed in France in the proven manner, but also actually manufactured in the main factory.