Disclaimer: I formally thank Zephon from Rossi & Wing for loaning us a demo unit. On behalf of the team at the Headphone List, we thank him for his trust in THL.
Summary:
Rossi & Wing’s Celestian amalgamates the distinct quirks from its younger siblings, the ‘Serendipidity’ and ‘Synchronicity’. The end result is a chiselled and sonorous presence region with a sharply-defined, crisp edge. This is juxtaposed by the bulbous and bottom-heavy bass response that asserts itself in the equation. The Celestian is a bold and reference-level IEM with aplomb.
Pros:
+ Exemplary finish with a spangled, fiery faceplate design
+ Analytical, chiselled and well-defined sound with an odd-harmonic bias
+ Deeply textured, slubby sub-bass
Cons:
– Thinner-leaning sound can cause long-term fatigue with hyper-real female voicings
– Artificiality from hyper-realistic, ‘above-reality’ presentation which highlights specific qualities in music
– ‘Niche tuning’
Introduction
In my last review (which felt like yonks ago), I was singing paeans and waxing lyrical to Rossi & Wing’s summit-fi magnum opus, the First Light. This time round, we’re tying up the last loose end of their L.U.A series – a tripartite release of three sibling earphones.
To avoid beating around the bush, here are my exact words from my previous reviews of the Serendipidity and Synchronicity:
”Lumen/Umbra Aeterna by R&W (LUA) is an art-inspired IEM brand, using earphones and tuning to explore the messages and philosophies within artistic expression. In collaboration with Taiwanese artist Cypress Tsai, who drew inspiration from LUA’s designs, each earphone model serves as a canvas, with sound as the brush, capturing the journey of soulmates from first encounter to transcendent union.”
The Celestian represents the king of the hill in the L.U.A series, harnessing the signature qualities that stood out on the Serendipidity (bass) and Synchronicity (treble).
Zephon Wing, the unassailably intelligent brains behind the Rossi & Wing brand, describes the Celestian as an analytical tool that’s less coloured and more precise for active-monitoring in professional settings:
“Tuned to meet the demands of professionals and discerning listeners alike, Celestian delivers exceptional vocal presence, layered detail, and accurate imaging—ideal for live monitoring or intimate listening”.
This is a significant 180 from the Celestian’s sister IEMs, whose tunings were exclusively born out of ‘feel’ and ’emotion’ instead of carving out specific peaks-and-troughs on a Audio Analyser chart.
The Celestian, like the Serendipity and Synchronicity features the same novel ‘MR10 Magna Resonus’ driver technology in a hybrid array series of undisclosed drivers. Priced at $1,390, the Celestian can be purchased from Rossi and Wings’ official website.
Technology
Transcendence of Twin Souls
The pinnacle of LUA, Celestian is both a statement and a harmonious marriage, blending R&W’s Magna Resonus technology’s grand soundscapes with the finesse of balanced tuning to elevate every musical detail. This flagship model delivers a sound that is both crisp and effortlessly powerful, meeting the needs of both audiophiles and professionals alike. Designed in part as a professional-grade monitor, Celestian reveals the depth and texture within every track. It is a meeting point of passion and precision — capturing the dual essence of LUA as it guides listeners through a journey of musical transcendence.
Magna Resonus MR10 Tech
Like its younger predecessors, the Celestian boasts an identical state-of-the-art 10mm ‘Magna Resonus dynamic driver for a bombastic but expertly-controlled low end.
HOKKI [ No. 2] Perfume
HOKKI’s NO.2 perfume, paired with Celestian’s brilliance, touches upon ‘Bergamot, Black Pepper and Lemon’.
Unboxing
Note: Unfortunately, the Celestian unit that I first received it was a sample unit. That means I cannot review any of its accessories except its accompanying stock cable and Eartips.
Inside the package, I was greeted by the following accessories:
- Celestian IEMs
- 4.4mm Pentaconn cloth-braid cable with 2-pin connectors
- Silicon Eartips (S, M and L)
- Jewellery display case.
If you were to purchase your own Celestian, it comes in two options: The Celestian Premium Box Set for $1,880 or the Celestian Single Set for $1,870. In terms of material inclusions, the differences between them are night and day, belied by their measly $10 difference (as part of a running gag from Zephon).
The Celestian Premium Box Set includes a Maplewood-rimmed frame for hanging your Celestian as an Objet D’art, the button-clasped leather case that was previously shown in my First Light review, and an authenticity and warranty card machined completely out of steel, laser sintered with lines running parallel length-wise.
Choosing the premium option also opens the doors to two ‘artistically’ inspired designs – Piet Mondrian’s abstract ‘Composition III’ or Van Gogh and his seminal work – ‘Starry Starry Night’.
Every accessory is carefully framed in a display case – this is the Rossi & Wing je nais se quois.
Design and Build
The Celestian’s entire shell is fabricated and sheathed in a spangled, magma-coloured hypoallergenic acrylic with patterned swirls – like the birth of a universe with the Rossi & Wing logo proudly emblazoned on their faceplates.
The Celestian boasts spouts of identical length and sizeable chassis as the Serendipity, weighing a measly four grams. Build-quality wise, the L.U.A trinity shares exact QC standards. There’s no physical or visible blemishes, with zero visible scuffs or bumps/chips to be found. The seam between the faceplate and chamber is masked brilliantly under a spotless application of lacquer.
However, the quality of print on the Celestian appears more vivid, with a striking contrast of jade green and satsuma orange when its glittered surfaces are struck with light from different angles. The Celestian is the heir apparent in the theming department.
Comfort and Ergonomics
Note: This is going to be an exact word-for-word rehash of my earlier Synchronicity and Serendipity reviews.
This is going to be a rehash of Serendipity’s review.
The Celestian has an elongated spout/nozzle that certainly sits deeper than most Chi-Fi IEMs. I have a natural proclivity for extended spouts; I find that they sit more snugly in my ears.
While the nozzle depth itself isn’t a sticky problem, the provided ear tips lack rigidity or structure. Consequently, attempts to achieve to seal fail due to its susceptibility to crinkling under the slightest pressure. I managed to resolve this issue with SpinFits EarTips.
The sizeable chamber design results in the shells sitting outwardly from the ear. Visually, there is a lack of balance, but it does little to affect the actual comfort or long-term fit. A violent head-shake test failed to displace either L-R channel from my ears.
Don’t let the Celestian’s size fool you, either. At the end of the day, the Celestian is still fabricated from hypoallergenic resin, a material with a proven pedigree for its featherlight properties. As discussed earlier, it barely weighs four grams; an impressive feat.
Overall, the Celestian may appear bulky, but that doesn’t detract from the actual wearing and listening experience.
Cable Quality
Note: This is going to be an exact word-for-word rehash of my earlier Synchronicity and Serendipity reviews.
The included cable is a quad-braid, cloth-sheathed cable decorated with brushed, Pentaconn hardware — a 4.4mm fixed termination and 2-pin connectors.
Surprisingly, the cables themselves are fairly microphonics-resistant despite their fabric sheathing. It’s slightly susceptible to memory but retains a strong degree of bendability without automatically spooling into a tangled mess.
The concentric-brushed hardware looks and feels high-quality, but its industrial and machined appearance doesn’t quite gel with the artistic approach to Synchronicity’s design. Do take note that later iterations to be shipped out will come with a themed cable that better matches its colorway.
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