Review: DCM TimeWindow 1 Speaker


Category: Speakers

This review covers the orignal DCM Time Windows. Not the subsequent versions.

I remember the first time I heard these. Their unique shape and sound where unlike anything I had heard before. Here was a speaker that really delivered the promise. It was driven by a PS Audio Amp and PS Audio LCC PreAmp. At the time I had the Large Advents,and while those speakers were very good indeed, the Time Windows were clearly superior. The music just seemed to come alive in a way that's hard to describe. There was just a seamless transparency to them. Not overly bright or accentuated on the bass. The balance was right on. It didn't really matter what the program material was, the Time Windows clearly and with authority brought the music to life. If they had any real weakness is for some peoples taste the bass may have been on the light side. But for my taste it was as it should be. The orginals used Philips drivers using a transmission line and the cabinet construction contributed to the overall sound. In the late 70s these were not cheap at about $800.00 but were indeed worth the price of admission. I was finally able to acquire a pair of these and have them to this day. Few things one purchases in life have enduring value and the Time Windows truly are in that category. Of all the reviews I have read on these speakers not one reviewer has clearly defined the sonics of this fabulous speaker. Use all of the adjectives you want and one will still come up short in the description. Best way to describe them, if you love music and have better than average components connected to them, the Time Windows will deliver the music with a verve that will astound you.

Now these speakers are some 20 years or more in age and continue to deliver the music. And that's what this hobby is all about. DCM no longer produces the Time Windows,having opted for the HT route. This is a true shame as these speakers deserve continued production. Timeless design is just that.

Specifications:

  • Dimensions:36"H x 14 3/4"W x 11 3/4"D
  • Weight:32 Pounds
  • Power Requirements:10 Watts Minimum per channel 89 dB/watt at one meter;200 Watts Maximum
  • Impedance:5 Ohms minimum/6-8 Ohms nominal
  • Frequency Range:25Hz to 18 kHz
  • Dispersion:180 degrees horizontal/60 degrees vertical.

    Specifications do not tell the whole story,listening does. The Time Windows due to their configuration can be literally tuned to any room. That is due to their shape. This was a brilliantly executed design that has remained faithful all these years.

    Associated gear
    Click to view my Virtual System

    Similar products
    Polk SDA 2,Large Advent,Infinity,Boston Acoustic.

  • ferrari
    I also upgraded from Large Advents to the Time Windows in 1981. I agree with all of the comments above about them and do regret selling them. I upgraded to Vandersteen 2B also, but I then had to spend a lot of money to replace my amp and front end in order to get the same level of musical enjoyment I got from the Time Windows. I drove the Time Windows with a Sanyo P55 mosfet amp and later a BRB 200 amp (anybody remember them?). Wonderfully musical. Also, a great name for a loudspeaker.
    I to had the original DCM Time Window 3's and still have the pair that are in the original boxes. I plan to hook them back up in a forth system and room with a TV in my master bedroom. Still have my modded Hafler XL-280 amp and Counterpoint SA-2000 preamp with EAD DSP-7000 and T-1000 both in 24K Gold and still sounds better than many other much more expensive systems. Unlike most other music lovers I cannot part with alot of my old gear. Still using my George Kaye modified NYAL Moscode 600. Both nothing comes close to my CAT JL-2 ( simply incredible amp ). Now I am rambling sorry - just listen to the music and be moved!
    I am an original owner of DCM Time Windows. I used to use a pair of OHM F's. Hard to imagine, but these are every bit as good. I still use them on my primary system today. I run them with a vintage Pioneer 1010. I've heard and owned a lot of speakers, but I keep coming back to the DCM's.
    Larry
    DO any of you know what DCM stands for???

    Ann Arbor - Dope Capital of Michigan

    I owned a pair of time windows as well, very nice neutral speaker, however they really have too laid back a top end.

    Tom
    I too am an original owner of a pair of TW1s and TW3s. I just freed them both up in the last year as gifts to family. They served my musical tastes for many years with a wide variety of electronics. I always thought that the treble was rolled off but I learned to easily live with that shortcoming considering how well they did in other sonic respects.

    Bob, the owner of DCM re-drivered my TW1s in the late 80s for just about the cost of shipping and even put new foam wrap on the speakers.

    Along with my Superphon Basic preamplifier from those days I would count the DCMs as the greatest value to satisfaction ratio I have experienced so far in terms of Audio bang for the buck. The equipment I listen to these days is drastically improved over the Superphon and the DCMs but the cost is so disproportionally higher (to achieve these improvements) that it doesn't make the same impact on my experience that these older units did in their day at their pice point.

    In some ways, Totem seems to be filling in the gap on small towers these days that deliver performance beyond their price point. I'm sure there are others too but in keeping with the topic question regarding the DCMs, they will remain a fond memory and a good value in my audio experience.

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