I need to purchase a new receiver/amp but I need one capable of 4K. I have a pair of Time Windows that I purchased new in 1979 and still love them. The WPC on the receivers I see are around 150 wpc, which is considerable more than the 40 wpc on my original amp. Is 150 too much?
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an almost cat proof speaker would be the metal grill ADS710 or 810. Yes i managed a store w DCM, ADS, Vandy, Infinity, etc….
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So I drove out to West Virginia to pick up the 1a pair. Not quite in service yet as I'm waiting on covers to be finished for protection from the kitties so slumming it with the Left channel on my scrappy looking Time Window 1 and using the DCM Cinemascape as the right channel temporarily until I have the new 1a set ready to go.
They are in pretty nice shape, original Brown fabric is still on them with no tears so definitely happy with the condition. Seller demo'd them upon pickup and they definitely are in good working order and can put out some sound.
Will drop in a final update with impressions on the sound of the 1a set vs the original design in my space.
Thanks again to all who chimed in!
-jake
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Jake
You might considering starting your whole system from scratch...Find a budget and then consider your room size ( big room big speakers ) your music tastes ie. vocals male and female are best served with an resolving midrange, sweet, relaxed ( when you hear a live session the performers work on relaxing their throat so the music pours out.
For me, If I can't relax into the music, just get lost into music then I want no part of it... |
Heh...hard to say exactly how the speaker ended up blown but likely from physical abuse...a couple of clues:
My OTA antenna feeds into TV, Optical audio out from TV to a Denon x4000 - for channels that don't have a fully clean OTA signal the result is sometimes a pretty healthy pop through the speakers when it glitches - I always mute the stereo and go TV speakers when the signal acts up, but perhaps that happened one too many times...
Speakers have also been thrashed on by a clowder of cats for many years:
- the foam enclosure surround is long gone - they tore out the center dome on the now blown woofer (although it's been gone well over a year...) - Speaker plugs have been ripped out a number of times...
I originally picked these up locally (Austin area) for $300 back around 2004 and due to the current physical shape the right move here is probably to move on to something else even if it's another example of these...
I do like the idea of going with a 1a version since they were actually designed to be serviced so that is a solid option for sure
No matter what I do I will use a cover I can slip over the speakers to protect them when not in use unless I end up with a solution where I hang them from the ceiling out of reach of the ruckus.
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I took a look on eBay. Three pairs available for $320, $500 and $629.99. In California, West Virginia and New Jersey. But none of the sellers wants to ship! I bought my pair on eBay for $219 plus free shipping several years ago! Guess I was just lucky! |
How did you manage to blow out a woofer? Those woofers are near indestructible! I suppose a Class D 1000 watt amp could do it! Why not just go to eBay and buy a pair of the TW1A's? They are even better than your early version! Mine are a late version - 52779 & 52780. I'm using a Sumo Andromeda with them. |
I use a pair of the TW1A's. These have the improved OEM woofers with the round frames. Your's has the hexagonal frame woofers. Near impossible to find! Plus they may be glued into the baffles. I owned an early pair and used them without the black foam coverings. I sold them to buy a pair of newer TW's. Those I then sold two years later to buy a pair of Quad 57's. Now I'm back to owning a pair of TW1A's again! Still an excellent speaker that can compete with any of today's four-figure offerings! |
I have a pair in my attic, just sitting there. I imagine you could find a replacement. |
Just Google "dcm time window replacement drivers" and explore some of the sites. |
Randy Cooley was a DCM dealer in the 1980's (when he managed one shop in a small Southern California high end chain, the name of which escapes me at the moment). When he opened Optimal Enchantment in Santa Monica, he chose Vandersteen as his bread-and-butter loudspeaker line. I would give him a call. |
Cool - really appreciate the feedback! I suppose this could be the time to cannibalize my DCM Cinemascape center (that is rarely used...) which allegedly has similar speakers in it. Size certainly matches up and I know there is definitely a working tweeter and woofer in that enclosure...
I've already done surgery on this same tower speaker about a year ago when it was knocked down by an over-achieving cat which broke loose one of the wires in the tweeter signal chain so I already have a removable access panel cut on the back. The bolts to remove the end caps didn't exist until the 1a series iirc so I had to cut in through the back.
I guess when I opened this thread what I was hoping for was some recommendations on alternatives that might offer a similar sound profile, but I also appreciate the 'if it ain't broke...don't fix it' (well...except that is is broke...(-;) approach some of you are recommending. But I also understand that speakers are so personal that until you put your ears on them you never really know.
So specific to the bipedal design of the TW's with the angled front with mirrored tweeter/woofer to each side is there anything else that has a similar design - I'm not even sure if there is a specific terminology to describe that layout I can use in a search.
-jake
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I had a pair way back when. They sounded good and weren't fussy about electronics. My advice is to call JR research and ask them to source a new woofer for you. Keep them if you like them. Nothing wrong with listening to new stuff, but the more you open the window, the more crap flies in. |
jakelight, you should go to a Best Buy Magnolia and listen. They have a lot of speakers there in your price range. |
They're a classic. Why not do a little research, find out what exact driver you can source to replace the woofer, and then replace the woofers in both units at the same time? There are lots of DCM enthusiasts out there. |
