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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
    rel2
    68 posts
     
    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.

    REL2
    sherod
    1,690 posts
     
    The Time Windows were a little lacking in the extreme upper octaves, but the designers chose those Phillips tweeters to handle some power so the slight lack of extension was a trade-off. My memory is fading, but I think DCM might have been the initials of the guys who started DCM. If you'll recall, it was Peter Aczel of The Audio Critic who got this new company in the late 70's off the ground with their rave review. The Time Windows really sang with Hafler amps.
    geraldgasser-ceb2
    1 posts
     
    I have two pairs of the original DCM TimWindows and noticed the foam covering the exterior deteriorating. It took me three years of searching for the replacement foam. I bought two rolls and have plenty of extra for others. Contact me if interested.
    royalty
    2 posts
     
    Gerald,
    I just picked up a pair of Time Windows and would like to replace the foam. If you have any left, please contact me.
    Thanks,
    David
    peterdlederer-7ec8
    1 posts
     
    Well, mine after many years of service (driven with Apt-Holman amp/pre-amp) were placed into storage for 5 years -- and then pulled back out for service in another room. They now are driven by a small TEAC integrated amp -- and still sound marvelous!

    BTW -- I took off the foam, wrapped them in white muslin, and painted the tops in high gloss white enamel. Despite their size, they disappear against a white wall. The sound seems unchanged -- or slightly better!
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