October 2025

World Premiere Review!
Big Sound, Small Size: Voxativ Hagen2 Tower Loudspeaker Review
Performing the most musical magical trick!
Review By Paul Schumann

   Growing up, I had a neighborhood friend who did magic. He was always working on new illusions to incorporate into his act. Sometimes he had to build an apparatus, and others were sleight of hand. To start, he would practice the new illusion for endless hours in front of the mirror. Once the kinks were worked out, he would try it out in front of some of his neighborhood friends. When he did this, he added an extra layer of challenge for himself. He would show us how the trick worked before he performed it. That way, we knew what to look for. He knew he had mastered the illusion if he could still fool us. He was a master of his craft, and he still does magic shows for fun.

Let's Talk
Our audio systems, as ardent readers of Enjoy the Music.com know, can perform magic tricks. They take music that has been recorded in some medium, convert it to electrical signals, and turn those signals into vibrations that we perceive as music. While all of it is wondrous, the devices I am most fascinated by are loudspeakers. It still boggles my mind that they can take an electrical signal and transform it into sound waves that are so similar to people performing music. Even more interesting are single-driver speakers.

Just one transducer is employed to reproduce all audio frequencies. No multi-driver interactions or crossovers to get in the way. But this is not an easy feat. As different frequencies are emitted by the driver, they interact with each other, causing distortion. The requirements for reproducing a bass drum are wildly different from those for a triangle. Designing such a driver is not only an engineering challenge, but a labor of love.

Fortunately, Inès Marie Adler loves full-range drivers. She has been developing them since the 1990s. Her original award-winning Ampeggio back-loaded horn introduced Voxativ to a worldwide audience in 2008, and she has continued to refine and expand her full-range drivers since. I met her at SWAF in 2024 when she was showing off her updated Ampeggio and was impressed with it. Unfortunately, it had been promised to another. When I became aware of the Hagen2 line, I jumped at the chance to do a review.

Technical Triumph
Voxativ's Hagen2 Towers are a perfect example of elegant simplicity. They are 40" tall, yet only 8" wide and 10" deep. They are a bottom-vented transmission line design. The towers come with separate bases and are perched on them using spikes. This allows the venting to take place in all directions. Both the towers and the bases were finished in a beautiful black lacquer. But the jewels of these towers are the AF-1.9 drivers. These are part of Voxativ’s newest line of 5" drivers, and they feature their proprietary Endless Gap Technology, ensuring ultra-linear performance and unmatched detail. They incorporate powerful neodymium magnets that precisely control the voice coil. The efficiency of these drivers is 95dB/W/m, and their nominal impedance is 10.3 ohms, which makes them perfect for SET amplifiers. The driver cones are made of paper, and each is hand-built by a team of 12 Voxativ craftspeople, including Inès Marie Adler.

As soon as I set up and started playing music through the Hagen2 Towers, I was blown away by how open and relaxed they sounded. I was wrangling with some speaker cable while they were playing, and when my head got close to one of the drivers, I was stunned at how clear it sounded.

Center Of Driver

Most drivers sound pretty awful when you listen to them like that, but not the AF-1.9s. That was indicative of how little they were distorting the signal. I knew I still had to do some settling in, but it left looking forward to more.

Part of my due diligence in evaluating the speakers was deciding which speaker cable I would use. I reviewed JPS Labs Superconductor V speaker cables about three years ago, and they have stayed in my system ever since. When Christopher Owens of Voxativ dropped off the Hagen2 Towers, he brought along some of Voxativ's standard slim speaker cables to try out, too. He told me that many people preferred this cable with Voxativ speakers. I used the JPS Labs loudspeaker cables for the first couple of weeks, then switched to the Voxativ cables for two weeks. At the end of the time with the Voxativ cables, I listened critically, before switching back again. I found the sound of the JPS Labs cables more relaxing than the Voxativ cables, so I stuck with those. Both are excellent cables; it was just a matter of personal preference.

The Love Of Listening
Now that I was ready to do some serious listening for my own personal joy, and for this exclusive Enjoy the Music.com review, I put on my vinyl of Phoebe Bridgers' Punisher [Dead Oceans – DOC200]. I guess I'm still on my sad-girl kick, and Phoebe Bridgers is one of the best. Punisher is a meticulously recorded album, and I was able to recently blow away several vendors at SWAF 2025 and LSAF 2025 luxury home audio shows when I requested they play the first track, "DVD Menu". This cut opens with the bass strings of a baritone guitar, which is quickly joined by glissando violins, all with heavy reverb. The effect is quite eerie. When Ms. Bridges' voice comes in, it is up close and personal.

I'd listened to this song many times, but I never experienced it with the same intensity and foreboding. Phoebe sang this song with such detached intensity that it sent chills down my spine. Another favorite composition is "Halloween". This has always been an extremely sad song for me, but listening to this with the Hagen2 Towers was practically overwhelming. For the first time, I realized that the howling I normally heard at the beginning and end of the song was actually in the background the entire time. At the end, when she repeats "Whatever you want", it was with utter resignation that it brought a tear to my eye.

I've been snapping up classical vinyl at a pretty regular clip recently. It seems there has been a confluence of older record collections becoming available and declining interest in classical music as a whole. This has made some nice copies of once-prized albums obtainable at bargain prices. One of the discs I recently picked up was Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Fritz Reiner [RCA Victor Red Seal – LSC-1934]. The pressing I purchased of this shaded dog dates from 1958 and sounds like new. These old RCAs have a lot going for them, but one of the things they always get right is their string tone. With the Voxativs, the violins of the CSO sounded smoother than ever. Even during the fff passages, they never sounded congested.

Throughout this record, the brass had a wonderful, burnished glow and never sounded edgy. Concerto for Orchestra is a highly dynamic piece, yet the Hagen2 Towers never sounded strained at high-volume levels. These speakers love to play loud! This is really quite a feat, since single drivers are doing all the work. Another aspect of this recording brought to the fore by the Hagen2 Towers was the ambience of the hall. Those crafty engineers would record in the actual concert halls to bring you the full symphonic effect. I had always noticed it in this outstanding recording, but the Voxativ Hagen2 Tower loudspeakers enveloped and immersed me within the ambiance (Editor's Note: Immersivephile delights!).

For the entire time I listened to this amazing piece, I was spellbound as music flowed out of these speakers like water from a mountain stream.

Stepping away from vinyl, I decided to do some streaming. Ethel Cain's Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You [Daughters of Cain Records] had recently dropped and required repeat listening. An unabashedly romantic album, Ethel intersperses songs with vocals and instrumental tracks. Like her previous releases, Ms. Cain uses echo and reverb to create expansive soundscapes, evoking the wide open expanses of the Midwest with this. As I listened to the album with the Hagen2 Towers, I saw the endless plains stretching out before me. This album will test the bass of the system, also. The kick drum on the track "Tempest" shook the whole room with its deep impacts. The bass playing on "Janie" felt practically subterranean.

How did the Hagen2 Towers do this with only two 5" drivers? The specifications say they go down to 50 Hz, but it felt lower. That is when I started to realize that Inès Marie Adler is an audio artist of the highest order.

After listening to several other albums with similar impressive results, I decided to give the Hagen2 Towers a real run for their money and put on Stravinsky's Rite of Spring [Columbia Masterworks – MS 7293]. This album is thrilling not only for the clarity of the recording but also for the technical brilliance of Pierre Boulez and the Cleveland Orchestra. From the opening bassoon, my ears were transported to another time and space. The audiophile part of my brain turned off, and reverted to that little boy who always loved music. The Cleveland Orchestra was spread out before me, playing under the masterful direction of Boulez. I wasn't worried about frequency response or soundstage. My body and mind were reveling in a piece of music that continues to surprise me after all these years. I still jumped when the flutes screeched and the trumpets blared. You could feel it within your bones, the rhythm of Stravinsky's hypnotic dance as the maiden was chosen.

During the climax, I once again felt sorrow as the young maiden danced herself to death. To once again experience such a glorious connection to music like I did during my youth. No worries about obligations or deadlines. It was one of the magical moments that all audiophiles live for!

A Bit Of Reflection
Once I had completed a couple of listening sessions for Enjoy the Music.com, I was able to reflect on my experience. There is just something special about listening to music with high-quality single-driver speakers such as the Hagen2 Towers. With no crossovers or multiple driver interactions, the amplifier and speakers can work as one. Like a couple dancing the tango, they are able to groove to each other as they feel the pulse of the music. I've reviewed several excellent multi-driver speakers in the last couple of years, but each time I spent some time with them, I would have that niggling feeling in my gut that something was getting between me and the music. As I am writing this, I'm listening to Roger Eno's The Turning Year [Deutsche Grammophon – 486 2024]. The piano and strings invited me in to listen for a while. Nothing splashy, just musical bliss. I know I sound like one of those old guys with a full set of Sound Practices in the garage, but there is great beauty in such simplicity.

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.

Specifications
Type: Floorstanding loudspeaker
Frequency Response: 50 Hz 33 kHz
Driver: VOXATIV AF-1.9 or AF-2A
Efficiency: 95dB/W/m (2000Hz)
Dimensions: 8" x 40" x 10" (WxHxD)
Color: Piano Finish, white or black, veneers
Weight: 22 lbs.
Price: €8,900

Company Information
VOXATIV GmbH
Märkische Straße 64
15806 Zossen
Germany

Voice: +49 (0)179 292 4224
E-mail: marie.adler@voxativ.com 
Website: Voxativ.Berlin