When it comes to Focal, it’s not a name that many people will recognize, but audiophiles, oh well, you better believe they’ve heard of it, quite often. Those headphones are just a pipe dream for some people, no offense.
If you’re an audiophile who enjoys high-end audio, you’re probably familiar with the French brand that has been around since 1979 and has provided the radio industry with really luxury headphones.
Concentrating solely on the high-end spectrum Focal understands how to strike the perfect combination between elegant style and outstanding sound quality, which is also the reason for its expensive pricing.
I’ll be introducing what I believe to be the best focal headphones in today’s article, so make sure you read all the way to the conclusion.
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
The Most Extravagante  | 8.6 | Check Latest Price | |
Best Wireless  | 8.5 | Check Latest Price | |
Best Passive Isolation  | 9.1 | Check Latest Price | |
Best Overall  | 8.8 | Check Latest Price |
The Top 4 Best Focal Headphones
4. Focal Stellia – The Most Extravagante
Starting with a set of Focal flagships, the Stellia, the Stellia is an exceptionally expensive pair of headphones that doesn’t fail to sound good.
To give you a better sense, those are almost identical to the Focal Utopia, which is another flagship from the French behemoth, but the latter comes in a closed-back design that effectively blocks out background noise.
Nothing changes the reality that these are among the most gorgeous headphones ever made; are you cool enough to wear them?
But, to address the elephant in the room, are you willing to pay the hefty price tag that comes with them? If that’s the case, we can go on to the design phase.
At first glance, you’d think some of the world’s most recognizable fashion labels have a hand in those headphones; I’m sure Gucci and Supreme are shivering in the corner, that’s how beautiful they look.
The Focal Stellia cups shout luxury headphones, and they’re rounded off with Cognac and Mocha hybrid full-grain perforated leather pads.
It also has a full-grain leather ear cup on the rear, hidden behind a huge and spherical perforated stainless steel cage. The leatherback is shown in a finely formed and laser-cut cage that even adds more to its design.
They not only appear luxurious, but they also feel luxurious; you will be able to wear them for hours without feeling uncomfortable at all.
Those excellent headphones will provide you with a detailed and lively listening experience that you won’t find with any other headphones.
They have to sound that nice considering the price, right?
The Focal Stellia headphones feature a planar-sounding bass that is very tight and punchy, which is superior to the other headphones. On the other hand, mid-range is also incredibly detailed and delivered at its best with nothing at fault.
I mean, I can’t tell which range sounds better than which at this point; the trebles are fantastic, the midrange is fantastic, and the bass is fantastic.
I guess I’ll just leave it at that; they sound fantastic.
Why Should You Buy It?
A pair of incredibly nice-looking headphones that don’t stop at looks and comfort; they also sound great, which will please most users because they excel in most ranges and don’t fall short in any area. If money isn’t an issue, those headphones won’t be either.
3. Focal Listen – Best Wireless
This was unexpected, but Focal found themselves in the wireless territory.
The Focal Listen is a pair of wireless headphones from the French company Focal, which boasts excellent sound quality, wireless connectivity, and, of course, a luxury style.
Okay, let’s start with their design since we are at that part.
Right off the bat, I will let you know that those can’t compete with the other luxurious and the rest of the professional offerings from Focal.
They appear to be luxurious, but they aren’t. These headphones are made of plastic with rubber pieces strewn. The cups are glossy black plastic, while the headband is matte black plastic. However, they are strong, and the cups fold into the headband while the hinge is really sturdy.
They’re fairly large headphones with pads that wrap around rather than sit on your ears. Their foam cushioning is thick and squishy, and they are quite huge.
It does not have a lot of features. I’m not going to lie, it only offers the basic functions you’d expect from a pair of wireless headphones.
There’s no active noise cancellation, but the closed-back design does an excellent job of passive noise reduction.
They don’t sound as good as the Focal Utopia, but they won’t let you down, and you’ll be able to enjoy your music whether you’re outside or indoors.
For a compact wireless headset, their sound profile is quite neutral, with a little bit of bass and a good amount of energy in treble and upper mids.
As for battery life, there’s nothing extra ordinary but it isn’t awful either, it has a mediocre battery life of 20 hours, what matters is that you won’t be left without music for a long time.
Why Should You Buy It?
While you can’t compare those headphones to some of the other offerings of the Focal, they still remain a great pair of wireless headphones and they come at a much cheaper price than their peers.
2. Focal Celestee – Best Passive Isolation
Celestee is a pair of closed back headphones with an exquisite design and exceptional sound quality. Moreover, they also use the most up-to-date Focal technologies.
So, if you’re seeking a pair of closed-back headphones that passively isolate noise while maintaining Focal’s renowned sound characteristic, your search stops here.
Celestee will be a great compliment to anyone, whether you use them at home or on the go.
If you’re wondering why you’d bring a pair of high-end headphones with you on the road, it’s because they look amazing.
The Celestee has a beautiful design with high-quality materials and a Navy Blue finish with Soft Copper accents.
We’re all aware that high-end headphones are fairly weighty due to the manufacturer’s great attention to detail. Celestee, on the other hand, is not like that.
Celestee maintains the same cushioned comfort as the rest of the series and weighs just under a pound, so you won’t get tired wearing them, as you would with heftier closed back headphones.
It was created with the idea of mobility in mind. They can be powered by a laptop or smartphone and have a 35 Ohm impedance. Wherever you are, the closed-back design ensures sound isolation from outside sources, so you can focus solely on your sound.
When it comes to sound quality, the Celstee has an incredibly wide soundstage that is difficult to find in competitors with closed-back designs.
The highs are extremely detailed, while the midrange is clean and crisp. The bass, on the other hand, is tight and precise.
Overall, they sound terrific, but not for bass heads, for those who prefer a warm sound signature, this is a great option.
Why Should You Buy It?
Those are a pair of portable headphones that I think will please a lot of people who want to listen to good music on the go, not only do they sound good but they look like nothing else, I mean unless it’s Focal since they follow the same design approach on most of their headphones.
1. Focal Utopia – Best Overall
With each of their release, the French Giants raises eyebrows among audiophiles.
Things changed dramatically with the release of Utopia. This one high-end headphone took the audio community by storm, and I’d go so far as to say it’s the greatest among Focal’s offerings, but even might be one of the best on the market right now?
Regardless, they’re still a fantastic pair of headphones.
The company’s flagship audiophile. Utopia open back headphones are quite expensive. These open back headphones are aimed at a specific market, yet the way they sound and the technology that goes into making them sound so fantastic to make them worth it in some bizarre sense.
Before you skip this one because of the price, hear me out.
Those have to be the most majestic open back headphones I’ve ever seen, and you’re right up there with me.
The Utopia headphones are superior in every way, featuring a carbon and aluminum combination that helps to lighten the headphones’ weight. Nothing on the headphones seems cheap or bad.
They’re as enjoyable to look at as they are to listen to. The headband and earpads have a matte texture, which contrasts with the shiny visible weave carbon fiber headband.
They sound terrific in all ranges when it comes to sound quality. For example, the tone is well-balanced, with wonderful trebles that give the impression that the music is alive, and the vastly improved sound stage is just fantastic. They have a frequency response range of 5Hz to 50kHz.
The mid-range, on the other hand, is smooth and detailed, with the bass being particularly pleasurable; it has just the right amount of bass without being overpowering.
I don’t want to come out too strongly, but undoubtedly the Utopias are among the best-sounding open back headphones in the world. Definitely some of the best focal headphones you can buy.
Why Should You Buy It?
All I can say is that if you can bypass the price, what are you waiting for?
Guide to Buying Focal Headphones
There are a few things you need to consider when buying a pair of headphones in general and not only focal headphones. Focal headphones are important to pay attention to, as you have noticed their prices are relatively painful a wrong buy can seriously hurt your bank.
Sound Quality
When it comes to sound quality, this is the most critical factor to consider when purchasing headphones.
Focal, being a high-end manufacturer, is guaranteed to sound nice, but the question is whether its sound characteristic suits your demands.
You want to pick headphones whose sound quality appeals to you, even though most of them have a pretty well-balanced sound characteristic that will deliver the music exactly as it was recorded, with a superb soundstage.
Yet again, the Focal headphones reason their painful price when it comes to sound quality but you just need to find the ones that will reward you and what kind of ranges you are going for.
Design
The sound quality of focal headphones isn’t the only thing they’re recognized for.
Their luxurious design hits levels that no headphones have been before. There are a lot of professional-grade headphone manufacturers, but none of them nail the design part quite as well as Focal does.
With a pair of professional headphones, you would look weird out on the road, but with focal ones, not at all. You will have heads turned toward you and people will know that your headphones mean business.
Not only do they look excellent, but they are also very well made and will last for a long time. There is no doubt that wearing them will provide you with a great deal of comfort.
Price
Although you might want to get your hands on a pair of focal headphones, there is an obstacle to that.
What I mean is that, by no means, Focal headphones are cheap.
If you are set up and have decided to buy a pair of focal headphones despite the expensive price tag, you really need to pay attention and do your homework.
Making the wrong purchase without a doubt will leave a hole in your pocket. It is not something you buy every day. This is a long-term investment.
Final Words
We’ve reached the end of the post, and I’m confident that I’ve covered everything you need to know about purchasing a set of Focal headphones.
I’ll say it again: those are high-end and professional-grade headphones, which means they’ll sound great and look good, don’t doubt that part.
However, the price tag may deter you from purchasing them. Still, if you have money to spend and have decided to purchase a pair of focal headphones, you will be pleased with them, in all ways possible.
Below you’ll find some additional great blogs to read, so keep reading. Until next time, happy reading.
Further Reading
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You can also check this article if you own a Vizio soundbar and don’t know how to reset it.
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This covers pretty much everything, enjoy.
Equipment Tester & Reviewer
I’m an unbiased audio equipment tester & reviewer, dedicated to keeping you up-to-date on the latest and greatest in audio gear.
