Audiophilepure

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1025/Voxativ_Hagen2_Tower_Loudspeaker_Review.htm

Then why aren’t there more single-driver speakers out there? Because they are hard to make. One can create a speaker that produces a flat frequency response, but how will it sound? Inès Marie Adler is not only a talented engineer, but she can also hear the changes in tone as she perfects her creations. Every choice she makes is to serve the music. That’s where the engineering stops and alchemy begins. When I listen to music with the Hagen2 Towers, I hear the passion and care she put into them.

The Hagen2 Towers are special. The big sound they produce belies their small stature. That first watt is their best friend. They are mind-meltingly fast and responsive. While they are incredibly resolving, they never sound harsh or bright. To sum it up, they are magical, wonderfully musical speakers. I congratulate Inès on her amazing accomplishment. If you ever have the opportunity to listen to the Hagen2 Towers or any of her other creations, please do so. You will be amazed.

So you’re trying to build a time machine out of a 1973 AMC Pacer. You want to time travel back to the mid-70s to hear the glorious midrange sound of an original pair of Quad ESL-57 loudspeakers. I hear ya. I get it. I have audiophile dreams like this too.

Then again, maybe you don’t need to risk life, limb, and a whole lot of 88 mile-per-hour speeding tickets to get that midrange sound quality? Today, in the summer of 2025, a current-production bookshelf monitor exists that sounds remarkably similar to a vintage pair of ESL-57s. With decent tube amps driving them, Charisma Audio’s Caprisse bookshelf speakers can deliver the same sonic quality and breathtaking midrange purity as Quad’s legendary electrostats.

Down through the last 40 years, I’ve owned two pairs of Quad ESL-57s and three pairs of ESL-63s. The Caprisse reminds me—fondly—of a vintage pair of ESL-57s. It has lightning-fast transients, lifelike PRaT, and magic in the midrange. The genius of the Caprisse is that it doesn’t need a large room to create the jaw-dropping sound quality of an old-school electrostatic floorstander.

If your listening room is small to mid-sized, do yourself a real favour and audition these speakers. It’s far easier than trying to get a vintage Delorean up to 88 miles an hour.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/system-one/2010-the-original-treble-clef-audio-tca-m-loudspeaker-over-100-000-for-visually-polarizing-precision

Coincidentally, just before finishing this review, I saw Daniel Lanois in concert and later had a chance to speak with him briefly. I would have loved to ask how the bass range on this track is really supposed to sound, which is something only the people behind the recording could know. But this wasn’t the time or place for that conversation, nor would it be fair to ask Lanois to recall the sound of something he recorded 30 years ago. For now, what the most faithful rendition of this recording is remains a mystery. At least in my room, whatever Siig is doing in the bass does result in a rather distinctive sound.

Conclusion and continuation

What’s not a mystery is that Treble Clef Audio’s first (and presently only) loudspeaker is expensive, wild-looking, well-built, and technologically advanced. All that would be for naught if the speaker didn’t sound good. No fear there—it certainly does. Its strengths include true full-range sound, meaning bass down to 20Hz and highs at least up to 20kHz; a free and open sound, which, as I mentioned above, probably has a lot to do with its unique construction; neutrality through the entire audioband, provided you have the bass dialed in correctly; clarity across the whole audioband, meaning details never get obscured; and an articulate, impactful character of the bass region that deserves further investigation by yours truly and, perhaps, you—that’s if you get a chance to hear a pair.

Clearly I’m not done with the TCA‑M yet, since there are many things left to fiddle with. If you’ve read this far, you surely realize that there’s more to come.