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DCM speakers for my Yamaha receiver... help me decide!

Howdy,
I have a circa 1988 Yamaha RX-700 natural sound receiver I purchased brand new in High School. I've been using a pair of vintage Altec Lansing 83 (100 watt, 8 ohm) bookshelf speakers in my 13' by 16' living room. Not great sound, for sure. I'm trying to decide which of two options I should chose to augment my sound. Both are used DCM speakers which seem to be highly regarded, especially the TF-600.

But, is my amp too under-powered for the TF-600s? Should I go for the CX-27s instead? Thought I'd ask the experts!

My Yamaha receiver has the following specs:

Power output: 65 watts/channel into 8 ohms stereo
75 watts/channel into 6 ohms
Speaker load impedance: 6 ohms to 16 ohms
frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz

Option 1:
DCM TimeFrame 600:
recommended amp power: 10 - 250 watts
max power handling: 250 watts RMS peak
6 ohm nominal
frequency response: 30 Hz to 20kHz

OR

Option 2:
DCM CX-27
recommended amp power: 10 watts to 150 watts
max power handling: 150 watts RMS peak program
6 ohms nominal
frequency response: 35Hz to 20kHz
thethrash
7 responses Add your response
guakus's avatar
guakus
351 posts
 
I know this is an old thread, but I have a pair of DCM TF600s and I have used them on two Yamaha receivers (as well as a Sony and a Harmon Kardon) and they are a fantastic pair up.
axememan's avatar
axememan
279 posts
 
I had the TF350[my son now has them] and they imaged crazy good.If you do get some keep in mind they are really old and the cloth and that goo they used to put it on are probably goin bad.not to mention the surrounds and crossovers. i passed on some TF600 for a good dealjust because I had no where to put them
thethrash OP
3 posts
 
Well, I passed on the TF600s for a few reasons. There are some TF350s advertised at a stereo refurbished store in Sacramento, but I think I may pull the trigger in some Boston Acoustics T830 floorstanding speakers. They're really close by so would save me a long drive in 2 directions! Ive heard good things about them though they are rated either 88 or 90. 

Do i really need to be concerned about this?

Oh, I also came across some KLH 23s but, again, a big journey to pick them up.

twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
@thethrash  Guess what?  The TimeFrame's are listed at 92 dB sensitivity.  Grab them.  Years ago I had a chance to get the 1000 model, and when I went back to buy them, they were already gone.  But even if the TF's were 88dB, you'd be fine.
musicbox78
46 posts
 
C"mon Carbon are you serious ?? 92 db isnt a starting point. Most floor standing speakers are advertised at far Left of 87 to 90 db. Designers usually like to see their product powered with nice or the finest amp the user can afford. Zu / Tekton / Klipsch / and others maybe the exception power wise. 

Grab the TF-600 over the CX-27 which I think are stand mount speakers. I always prefered the Timewindow series 1A and model 3s as excellent starting spots. Owned both ... wish I had either today. Yep spoken as a true hoarder. 
thethrash OP
3 posts
 
Really? Sheesh, have I got a lot to learn about audio gear! Thanks for enlightening me, I will keep that in mind as I evaluate options.

Regards!
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Are you ready for this? None of those specs are relevant! What you want to know is will you have enough power? To answer that you need to know one thing: speaker sensitivity. What you want is 92dB/watt or higher. Sometimes listed as 2.83 volts instead of one watt, a technical difference it is cool to understand but has little real world effect. (Not that you will ever be able to tell this by the reaction it gets- watch and see!)  
 The owner's manual pdf I found on-line says the TF600 is exactly 92db/w so you will probably be fine. Higher is better but this is not one of those deals where you can judge by the number. You rarely can. What it does is keep you from winding up like a lot of guys with a speaker that sounds good but only with a certain amp which you then spend the rest of your life (and a lot of your hard-earned money) trying to find.

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