“There is nothing entry-level about these towers.” In terms of accuracy, sound staging ability, and density of tone and image, these speakers serve up a good dose of “reference” performance at the almost insanely low price of $3995”
John Richardson, Part-Time Audiophile
CeLest’ Tower Speakers
Detailed, Dynamic & FUN
CeLest’ is designed to be an amazing audiophile speaker and that’s exactly what you get. The CeLest is very accurate but incredibly FUN. This comes from the fact it is crisp yet warm, and the bass is tight, articulate and bountiful.
The CeLest loudspeaker system was crafted with three main design goals. First, we understand that every listening room is different. As a result, we wanted CeLest’ to be as room-neutral as possible. To reduce room interaction we use a high-frequency waveguide to minimize the effect of these critical frequencies. The result is spectacular.
Secondly, we wanted CeLest’ to deliver generous tight, articulate, pitch defined bass. Using some really smart enclosure technics and physics wizardry, we hit the mark.
Thirdly, we wanted a speaker that was tonally accurate and did not change the sound of any particular instrument. To achieve this, we spent an inordinate amount of time and testing to develop a cost no object crossover that delivers a spectacular tonal balance.
See the CeLest’ Introduction Video at 2019 Florida Audio Expo
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$4,995.00
Minimal Room Interaction
A listening room affects the overall sound of most loudspeakers as much as any other single component. Our proprietary waveguide was developed with the intent purpose of being as room neutral as possible. To accomplish this, we incorporated a slightly smaller version of our high-frequency waveguide, also found on the Corvus Reference Monitor. The result is more detail in the high-range and a well-defined sound stage. Less Room, More Music!
Crossover Design
The CeLest’s frequency response is tailored to sound great on all recordings by paying particular attention to reducing peaks in problem frequencies. This results in a well-balanced sound that really works. Everything from classical music to classic rock is amazing on the CeLest’ Towers.
AMAZING Bass
The CeLest uses a ported enclosure tuned to 40Hz. CeLest’s bass response was designed to reproduce 40 to 55 Hz spectacularly. So, why not 20 to 55 Hz? 99% of deep bass frequencies in recorded music are between 40 and 50 Hz. The lowest note in a rock band is 42.5 Hz. This is the exciting area of bass and it is critical to get this right. CeLest nails it!
Ultra Low Resonance Enclosure
Great care was taken with the design and build quality of the CeLest’ enclosures. To reduce any possibility of resonance, we use high-grade, high-density MDF. Speaker cabinets typically have resonant frequencies that vibrate sympathetically with certain musical tones. When this happens it adds unwanted coloration to the sound. The only sound produced should be from the speaker drivers themselves, not the cabinet.
Specifications
Drivers:
1 X 1.1” (29mm) Ring-Dome Tweeter
2 X 6.7” (171mm) Poly Cone Woofer
Sensitivity: 90dB (2.83V/1m)
Impedance: 4 Ohms
Frequency Response:
40Hz – 20 kHz ±2 dB kHz
Recommended Power:
20W Raven Tube Amp; 100W Solid State / 500W (Max)
Dimensions:
42.3”H x 12.2”D x 7.7”W (107.4cm x 30.9cm x 19.3cm)
Weight: 50.8 lbs. (23.04 kg)
Grille:
Black cloth over a rigid frame;
attaches securely with powerful magnets.
4 reviews for CeLest’ Tower Speakers
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
dcurtis53 –
I recently received the new Raven Audio CeLest’ tower speakers. I’ve had my first long listening session and my first impression is… THEY are Amazing!! Previous to these beauty’s, I had the Tekton Enzo 2’s. While they are good speakers, they simply can’t keep up with the CeLest’. I am running them with the superb Raven Audio Blackhawk MK3 integrated tube amp. It is incredible to me just how great they are sounding on their first day. This can only get better as they break-in.
The soundstage is huge with wonderful detail and deep spacious air around the instruments. The voices are truly mesmerizing. I also own a Rel T9i subwoofer however am tempted to ship it back as the bass of the CeLest’ is excellent, to say the least. In my humble opinion, these speakers are an absolute steal of a deal. I’ve owned many good speakers but the CeLest’s are easily the best.
Thank you Raven Audio! Keep up the great work.
MrGrey (verified owner) –
I recently purchased a pair of Raven Audio’s amazing Celest’ Tower Speakers to go along with my Blackhawk MK3 Tube amp. I have had the speakers for a little over a week, and the Blackhawk since mid November. I wanted to let the speakers break in for awhile so I could have a better idea how they would ultimately sound before writing down my impressions of them. I believe I have around 100 hours on them now and they have opened up significantly, though per Dave Thomson they will continue to loosen up and become even more real sounding over the next 700-900 hours.
When I first heard the Blackhawk I was struck by how clear, detailed and musical it sounded right out of the box, and how easily it drove my 86db speakers, especially given its 20 watt power rating.
One of the first things I noticed was how, to my surprise, I was suddenly hearing lyrics that with prior amps just seemed to get lost in the noise. This phenomenon has taken another leap with the Celest’ speakers, which are incredibly transparent and accurate in their own right. The result of this greater clarity of the lyrics has really added to my enjoyment of the music I listen to, and is something that I would not want to live without now that I have experienced it.
At the same time, it is not the charity of the lyrics that caused me to want to share what I have been experiencing with the Celest’s, it is the incredible music I hear coming out of them. Not being exactly sure where to start I will just list various elements of the sound that stand out to me, in no particular order, knowing that I will not be able to adequately convey how special these speakers are.
Bass – The base is powerful, dynamic, accurate and responsive. It just seems to want to jump out from the speakers when called upon. The bass also has tremendous depth and slam.
Tonality – The instruments sound more real than anything I have heard in my home before. This is one of those things I have a hard time putting in words, but the depth and richness of the sound is just wonderful and has to be experienced to truly appreciate.
Percussion – The various drums have amazing depth, dynamics and accuracy. The cymbals are clear and open. Even the triangle I heard in one song was crystal clear.
Soundstage and imaging – The soundstage is both wide and deep in my room. In fact it is the deepest I have experienced.
Detail, accuracy and transparency – These speakers are very revealing, and especially in combination with the Blackhawk, really excel in this regard. The background is black and the instruments are alive and separated from each other.
Overall impression – I haven’t listened to every genre. Mostly a singer songwriter type, so can’t comment on classical, R&B, jazz (other than Diana Krall), country etc. However I have listened to some classic rock and other dynamic music and it all sounds good to me. Much of the music I listen to I have listened to for years and not only does it all sound better than I have heard it before, I am hearing new details and even instruments that I haven’t heard before, and that alone has made it worth the investment.
mikeknj1 (verified owner) –
I recently purchased a pair of Raven Audio Celest’ Tower Speakers as part of a package that included a Raven Nighthawk MK3 integrated amp and Soniquil cables. I have had both for around 2 weeks now. The main reason for the purchase was that the room in my new house would not accommodate my existing system. We were using my wife’s 70’s vintage Sony receiver with a set of Wharfedale 225 speakers until I could redo my system.
When everything arrived at first I set up the Nighthawk with the Wharfedale speakers and played a break-in disk for a day. When I started to play music the sound was markedly improved over what it had been. The Nighthawk made the small speakers really fill the room with sound. They throw a front to back 3d soundstage. That told me I was really going to hear something special when I hooked up the Celest’ speakers.
Several days later I hooked up the Celest’ speakers and ran the break-in disk. When I started to play music I could hear not just a front to back sound stage, but also quite a large side to side sound stage. Playing vocals such as John Pizarelli and Jane Monheit the speakers gave a presentation that made you feel that they were in the room right in front of you. I agree with others who say that lyrics really stand out. The music is quite transparent.
For the size drivers, the speakers have bass is very tight and solid. I played the Dave Brubeck Time Out recording and the dynamics were quite impressive. There was more of a separation between the bass and the drums than I had ever heard. It was not just low-frequency notes, but a distinct difference between the bass and drums in terms of timber and location in the sound stage. Latin recording such as the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra are presented in a very dynamic and fluid way. The percussion instruments stand out not just in sound, but in space at the correct height. The air around the instruments is more realistic than I have ever heard in my own home.
I know that Raven offers a 45 day return policy, but this is one person who decided in the first week that they were keepers. If they are not fully broken in, then when they are I can definitely say I will by more than satisfied.
Thanks to everyone at Raven who helped with this purchase.
Jeff Strickling (verified owner) –
Prior to ordering my Raven CeLest floor standing speakers, I have had owned floor standers, bookshelf,
and tower speakers from KEF, Focal, Klipsch, and most recently Sonus Faber Sonetto II and later the
Olympica I with a 2 REL Sub.
“The CeLest Tower is our fun speaker”
Complete and total understatement James. My journey with these speakers began with reading a
review on The Part Time Audiophile and I was very intrigued. I figured what the heck I will plunk down
$3900 buck’s and give these bad boys a whirl. Hell, what’s to lose with Raven Audio’s 45 Day
Risk-Free Guarantee.
Rough Start, Great Customer Service.
So I placed my order for these speakers and once they arrived I was slammed with work and just left
them in the box in my shop. Flew off to Denver and Houston for meetings and came down with the
COVID-19. Spent 2 weeks in bed.
I decided to set up the CeLest speakers (thinking I had fully recovered) and found that Raven had sent
the wrong waveguide and I lost my mind. I sent Bryant a scathing email and that I was going to return
them. 2 days later I calmed down sent Bryant an email and he confirmed my thoughts that they accidentally sent
the waveguide for the Corvus. James Connell lives in Dallas and he ran a new set over (had him put them
in my mailbox did not want to give him the crud) outstanding customer service.
So let’s get to the point here. These speakers are FANTASTIC.
I have an eclectic taste in music and I will tell you these speakers have an outstanding soundstage no
matter what you listen to. First I spun up on the RP8 Miles Davis Bithches Brew. The separation and
midrange dynamics made my Olympicas sound flat and distant. The sound stage was wide and clear.
Next up Was Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On. Talk about clarity! My wife thought Mavin had been
resurrected and was singing in my listening room. Crystal clear and dynamic.
Then we had to give the lower ranges a test. So we found some Stanley Clark on the Roon and gave I
Wanna Play For You. This album has all the bass trappings from a standup string to electric and is a joy
to listen to on this system. Rock and Roll yep these speakers will rock also, Yes, Black Sabbath,
The Killers, Taking Heads, Trower, Beck, Led Balloon they will handle it all.
Please give these babies a shot and with 45-day return privileges what do you have to lose?
And do not forget the cables, 1/3 the cost and 10 times the quality of the usual suspects.
Gotta go, time to dance with my bride. Just spun up Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble, do the bossa nova.