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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

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    • ferrari

    Showing 1 response by roundmoundofsound

    roundmoundofsound
    74 posts
     
    As a salesman then manager for the #1 DCM dealer in the late 70's and early 80's, I can answer a few questions about the original Time Windows, the QEDs (essentially 1/2 a Time Window) , the Macrophones, and other models at that tine.

    Bob Carver started using the Time Windows to demonstrate his Sonic Hologram, on the insistence of our stores' owner trying the Time Windows at our store. When TAS reviewed the Sonic Hologram, Carver told JWC (the reviewer in Atlanta for TAS) to use the Time Windows. The story could be found in TAS issue at that time.

    Depending on which of the 3 men listed below you talked to, DCM stood for either:
    1. Drug Capital of the Midwest (or Michigan)
    2. Dope Capital of the Midwest (or Michigan)
    3. Dats Cool Man

    Bob Waterstripe, Steve Eberback, and Howard Jacks were the men behind the scenes.

    Along with the Dahlquist DQ-10's, the original Time Windows were the affordable speakers to own. At the time, the list price for a set of Time Windows was $660.

    FWIW I used "stacked" QEDs powered by a pair of Kenwood L07M and a Marantz 7C. Pink Floyd's, "The Wall" was awesome. The stack acted like a line source with more of a point source imaging than the Time Windows.

    Yes if you looked at the cost of the materials (Phillips/Peerless drivers and very basic crossover, the box and only wood tops and bottoms, it was certainly a wonder of economics. But it's sound, while not SOTA, was really pretty good, especially for the money!
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