Cool.
I’ll just get the hip dac and test the Celestee with and without it. Any specific sound qualities I should be trying to listen for when testing the hip dac. I would think dynamics, more specifically punch and slam, and sound stage would suffer the most without proper amping so I should listen out for those the most to see if I notice and/or care for having a separate dac and amp.
Yeah that’ll work fine. And I’m not sure about any specific quality, because again it’ll all depend on the laptop. But in general, just a better sense of clarity and distinctness (tightness?). I remember the first time I used a proper DAC/amp setup and I was blown away at the difference. But that was from a desktop motherboard out many years ago.
Alright, cool. Thanks for the timely replies.
These are absolutely gorgeous, I’m torn as to whether or not I should purchase these or the Focal Radiance… Decisions Decisions…
Did I miss it, or have you compared the Clear, Stella and the Celestee ?
I would be very interested in reading a comparison between the LCD-XC and Celestee if you’d be up for sharing your thoughts.
Still waiting on getting my XC back. But in general, for technical performance, LCD-XC > Celestee, for tuning, Celestee > LCD-XC. For comfort, Celestee > LCD-XC
Currently ETA for NA Celestee to arrive is Feb 18th to Focal, then they will go out to dealers. I’d estimate that we would be able to start shipping on February 22nd. None of those dates are firm of course, just estimates based on the information we have.
Great, thanks for the info, Taron! Looking forward to receiving it.
@Resolve Have you heard any of the newer Denons? Trying to decide between these, Radiance, ZMF Atticus and Denon AH-D9200.
Haven’t had a chance to try them yet.
These might be my favorite looking Focal headphones along with the Utopia @taronlissimore have you got a chance to listen to them yet?
Do i like this?
-No-
Because I love this! 
For me, these headphones are what is commonly referred to as “guilty pleasure”.
Are they perfect, no.
But it is always a lot of fun to listen to music with these headphones, because they certainly present music with a slight coloration, but they do it with a very high quality.
The bass is dry as dust and hits so hard that you can feel it physically.
The mids are truly present, but by no means overemphasized.
And the heights move pleasantly at the “still pain-free” border area, so that you never actually feel the “stinging” of through sharp points in the higher pitches.
In addition, there is an “above-average” stage for “closed headphones” and a very clean and precise processing of the materials.
I recently took a look at the crinacles headphone review list:
This caused me to shake my head a bit, because he rated these headphones extremely badly.
With this opinion he is very lonely 
In the reviews I have read and viewed, these headphones are rated as “very good” internationally and I can confirm this from my own experience.
At that time, I was faced with the decision to buy the 9200 or the Fostex TH900mk2.
After listening to it extensively on a trial basis, I decided on the Denons.
By the way, the Focal Celestee was ordered “blind” by me, because I trust Focal based on my previous experience.
I bought the 9200s and really enjoyed them. I ultimately went with Stellia instead an my all around we, but these are the headphones that I most often consider buying again. The sound is unique and hard to describe and the build quality is outstanding for its price. I would love to see some FR between this and Stellia and others to see some of the differences that I hear but can’t communicate.
Is that the cma twelve behind there? How do you like it? I was considering one about a year ago but ended up buying separates instead…they still look gorgeous though
I would love the Stellia but they are $4500 AUD vs $2200 9200s, ordered the Denons this morning
I was tempted to buy Celestee but already own Clears so it’s kinda much of the same but do keep me updated, I ordered 9200s
In all honesty, I was never a fan of closed-back headphones 
.
Until the start of the home office regulation in March 2020 in Germany, I only had a Beyerdynamic DT770 pro with 80 ohms as a “workhorse” for occasional conference calls and YouTube presentations in the office and of course bluetooth noise canceling headphones for buses / trains and planes.
These were light, comfortable and had a satisfying sound.
Since I’ve been working from home, and my wife does this too, I’ve decided to subject my closed-back headphones to the same sound standards that I apply to open headphones, because I often listen to music while I’m working.
After a few calls, the dealers I trust sent me home various headphones of my choice in order to test them extensively.
I was very astonished by their tonal and “large-stage” qualities, which they have now achieved.
Among other things, there was the possibility to choose the Focal Stellia, I found its qualities to be extraordinarily good, but never twice or three times as good as those of the other headphones I had here.
So, due to the diversity in the sound, I decided for SEVERAL high-quality, but not overpriced models, which differ in sound and still make me “addicted” to, and always prompt me wanting to keep listening to music.
(Which for me personally is the absolutely decisive purchase factor.)
That means:
PERFECT IS:
IF YOU ---- LIKE / WANT / LOVE — IT 
*If the others see it the same way, that’s nice, but by no means a factor after you should set your own taste or make a purchase decision
By the way:
The Focal Celestee, even if it should sound similar to the Clear, still fits wonderfully into my “closed back” headphone portfolio. Because the purpose is different.
Yeah, just decided to get something a bit less metallic sounding and a different signature, I love my Clears but nice to mix things up
