HI there Sean
the dope referred to refer
I used to sell DCM when I was in college and lived in East Lansing Michigan and it wasn't till years later that I heard the origin of the name.
Ann Arbor seemed to be under a heavy cloud of canibus in the early 80's, then agian I went to Moo U, so we were reveling in the manure aroma
Tom |
Was the "dope" made in reference to "drugs" or the people that lived there ? : ) Sean
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DCM stand for Ann Arbor
Dope Capitol of Michigan |
According to DCM the Time Windows are no longer made due to their feeling that they would have to set a MSRP price at $1,800.00 due to perceived low demand,that the high end market now represents. However I was told that drivers and all other parts are available thru DCM for current owners of Time Windows. |
I had a pair of the early 80's time windows before they changed out the drivers. I gave them to my brother when I upgraded to B&W Matrix II's. Very neutral speakers with a nice soundstage but a bit subdued in the high and low freq.
The QED was a nice speaker also.
Trivia extra credit
Does anyone know what DCM stands for???
answer at 11 |
As a previous owner of the original Time Window (1980), the sound was greatly improved by raising them on 9 inch stands. A steel stand shaped to the base of the speaker was sold after market, but I made my own. A mid range coloration was removed by raising the speaker, especially on vocals. The speakers also sounded more open by raising them. The speaker gave me a lot of musical pleasure, but I think they were colored compared to modern designs. |
I had a pair of what were either 2nd or 3rd generation Time Windows. I'm sorry I sold them as they were a very forgiving, yet enjoyable speaker. I used an RGR Preamp and BRB amp with them. I placed them about a foot from the rear wall. Tried stands for them, which did not work. I placed some extra carpeting under them which helped a little. Also agree with facing them forward for best imaging. They present a spacious sound, but do not have the focus of some speakers. Nevertheless, they were very enjoyable and a bargain for what they did. |
Kirk, i don't recall what woofers were used in these, but the tweeters were made by Philips. Similar replacements can sometimes be had from Parts Express from time to time. The cost on these range from $6 apiece ( on sale ) to about $10 - $12 normally.
I would first look at the woofers and see if they need work. If they appear to be okay, which i doubt at this point in time, i would then think about replacing the internal wiring and capacitors. None of this is hard to do. If you take your time and make a VERY SPECIFIC log book BEFORE you attempt removal / replacement of anything, you should not run into any problems. Believe me, the log book comes in handy should you have to stop what you're doing and come back at a later time or date. Besides that, it gives you documentation as to what was done, how you did it, etc... should you ever need to know. This info can also be used to help others out should a question come up. Sean
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I have a pair that are probably 20 years old. I have to believe they need re-habbing - definitely they do aesthetically, but they don't sound all that good anymore either (or maybe I've just gotten used to nicer stuff?) Does anyone know if it's possible to get replacement drivers, etc. for these? -Kirk |
Which model of the original DCM Time Windows do you have? There were a few of them. Anyway I still have the Time Windows Square since the '80. I don't use them as much now. There were great speakers, but DCM stoped making them because they decided to produce mass market speakers instead of hi-end ones. |
This was a well thought out design. It took a minimal of low cost, low quantity parts and implimented it into a nice design at a very reasonable price. While these speakers will never "rock the house" with volume or low bass, they do sound quite good.
In terms of placement, it is important that neither speaker see a nearfield reflection up close. My findings are that you can place them closer to a back wall than many other floorstanders ( this will reinforce low bass ) BUT they can't have anything between them or on the outside of them. I too would recommend running them "flat faced" and NOT toe'd in. They are not real big on localization or "rock solid" imaging but rather present a wide and equally distributed soundstage. If find this type of presentation more realistic when sitting at some distance from the stage at live events. Those that tend to go "front row" may not like this approach.
In terms of using spikes, are you on carpeting ? If so, what type of flooring under the carpet ? Wood, tile, concrete, etc ??? Something else that you might want to play around with is mass loading this specific design. Try a sandbag on top of the cabinet. You might have to play with the volume / weight of sand in the bag in order to find the optimum amount. You will find that this will play with the openness, air, harmonic overtones, bass weight, etc.. of their presentation.
I hope that you got a good deal on them and continue to enjoy them. I wouldn't mind stumbling across a set to tinker around with myself. Sean
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I owned a pair for years - sold them to a good friend of mine as I did not want to see them go too far away. I did not use spikes, but think they would be worth a try. The "generally accepted" approach to placement back when was to put them 3'+/- from the back wall, and NOT to toe them in - keeping them parallel to one another.
Frankly, I never found these to be too placement sensitive.
Good luck, and good listening.
Barton |
