The Focal Celestee are premium closed-back audiophile headphones. These sleek navy and copper headphones replace the discontinued Focal Elegia. They have a decently neutral sound profile with a smooth mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments are clear, present, and accurate. Thanks to their well-built design, they're also comfortable for long listening sessions. Their closed-back design can help block out some ambient noise, although they won't isolate you from the rumble of bus or plane engines. However, they struggle to reproduce low-bass, and they have a somewhat dark treble.
Our Verdict
The Focal Celestee are decent for neutral sound. They have a smooth, warm sound profile. While they lack a thumpy low-bass, their mid-range is exceptionally neutral, ensuring that vocals and lead instruments are present, detailed, and clear. However, their treble is underemphasized, so voices sound veiled while sibilants like S and T sounds are dark. Since they have a closed-back design, their passive soundstage is perceived as somewhat small and as coming from inside your head rather than from out in front of you.
- Outstanding build quality and very comfortable fit.
- Small, closed-off passive soundstage.
The Focal Celestee are poor for commute and travel. They have a bulky design, making them tricky to take with you on the go, lack any controls, and don't block out the low rumbles of bus or plane engines, which can be annoying. On the upside, they come with a great carrying case to help protect them. They also have a very comfortable and well-built design.
- Outstanding build quality and very comfortable fit.
- Disappointing noise isolation performance.
- Small, closed-off passive soundstage.
The Focal Celestee are disappointing for sports and fitness. They're bulky, have mediocre stability, and their wired design can accidentally snag on something, pulling them off your head. Their ear cups can also trap heat, which could make you sweat more than normal, and although we don't currently test for it, they don't have an IP rating for water resistance. On the upside, they're very comfortable and well-built.
- Outstanding build quality and very comfortable fit.
- Mediocre stability.
- No IP rating for water resistance.
The Focal Celestee are inadequate for office use. They leak some audio at high volumes, which may annoy others around you. They also don't support multi-device pairing and lack a microphone, so you won't be able to take calls at work. However, although they're a bit bulky, their fit is very comfortable. They can passively block out office chatter around you.
- Outstanding build quality and very comfortable fit.
- Can passively isolate mid-range noise.
- No microphone.
- Small, closed-off passive soundstage.
- Leaks some audio at high volumes.
The Focal Celestee are wired headphones and can't be used wirelessly.
The Focal Celestee are passable for wired gaming. They don't have a microphone, so you won't be able to chat with your teammates, but their 1/8" TRS cable offers a low latency gaming experience.
- Outstanding build quality and very comfortable fit.
- No microphone.
The Focal Celestee don't have a microphone, so you won't be able to take calls.
Changelog
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Updated Jan 28, 2026:
The Popular Headphones Comparisons was updated to compare the Focal Azurys.
- Updated Feb 09, 2023: We've added a comparison between these headphones and the Focal Bathys Wireless in Style.
- Updated Jul 09, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jul 06, 2021: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Focal Celestee come in one color variant: 'Navy'. If you come across another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Focal Celestee are high-end audiophile headphones that look similar to other over-ears in this manufacturer's lineup. Just like the Focal Elegia, they have a closed-back design that helps them block out a bit more background noise than audiophile headphones with an open-back enclosure like the HiFiMan Arya. They also have a smooth, warm sound profile with a neutral mid-range, although they can't reproduce as much bass as the Focal Stellia. Still, if you can't stretch the budget for the Celestee, the Focal Azurys are a step-down model that trades leather padding for fabric and adds an in-line remote with mic, but they aren't as well-built.
If you're looking for more headphones, check out our recommendations for the best audiophile headphones, the best headphones for music, and the best wired headphones.
The Focal Celestee is a higher-tier model than the Focal Azurys, with a more premium build. They're kitted out with higher grade materials, but the metal-clad Azurys aren't poorly constructed, just cheaper to produce with fabric earpads, for example. Both closed-backs provide a little noise isolation, but not much. Both have warm frequency responses, and the Celestee exhibit slightly better frequency response consistency. Still, if you want an in-line mic and can't shell out for the higher-end model, the Azurys is worth a shout.
The Focal Stellia and the Focal Celestee are similar closed-back audiophile headphones, but the Stellia have a slight edge. Unlike the Celestee, which use aluminum and magnesium alloy drivers, the Stellia's drivers are beryllium. They're able to reproduce bass more accurately, and their treble is more neutral. However, both headphones are very comfortable and have a high-end build.
The Focal Celestee are the next generation of closed-back headphones in Focal's line-up, and they replace the discontinued Focal Elegia. Both headphones offer very similar overall performances and share the same comfortable and high-end design. However, the Celestee have a better passive soundstage performance while the Elegia can reproduce more low-bass.
The Focal Clear Mg are open-back headphones, while the Focal Celestee have a closed-back design. The Clear Mg can reproduce bass more accurately, and their passive soundstage is more spacious, open, and large, which can help immerse you in your audio. However, the Celestee are better at isolating noise around you and leak less audio.
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