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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
    hal_dekker-e49a
    1 posts
     
    I bought a pair of Time Windows at a garage sale for $10. $10 DOLLARS! The kid two seconds behind me begged me for them for his XBOX gaming. Too bad, I got there first. Their grill cloth was long gone and the wood on one was a little rough. I resealed the enclosures, which were in great shape, with black silicon seal in a couple places to be sure they were still air tight. At the supermarket I bought some of the shelving liner you put in your cupbords under your dishes and glasses, its an open-meshed rubberized foam of some kind. Painted the wood tops and bottoms flat black, wrapped them in black shelving liner, and they looked and sounded fabulous, even powered with my little vintage Pioneer SX-3500 with 6 spectrum booster/equalizer. Unfortunately I lost them in a flood. I almost cried. I have since purchased two more pairs on eBay recently in "like new" and "excellent" condition, and continue to go forth and rock. Sorry if you lost the bids!
    rolando-23d3
    1 posts
     
    Well, this is a fun site to run across; lots of other Time Window freaks. I bought my first set of Time Windows in 1981 as a divorce present for myself. My marriage to them has now lasted nearly three times as long as the one to my firs wife. I have played them with lots of different electronics and listened to a lot of other speakers in the ensuing years. Other speakers make me nervous. A couple of years ago I purchased a pair of Time Window 3s. Although, I also love these speakers, I think that when George sends me to Guantanamo I will take the original Time Windows with me.
    cwheh-b662
    1 posts
     
    Home theater and time windows

    Does anyone know if the old time windows can be used or even if it is a good idea to use them with
    the modern 5.1 home theater a/v receivers .
    stevenk
    1 posts
     
    My Time Windows are still going strong after 24 years of use and abuse. I'm currently using them in my second system, a 2-channel "home theater" system run by the Carver Receiver which is just about as old. They still sound great.

    I remember the first time I heard them was in a stereo store in Columbia, MO and they just lit the room up. Everyone wandered over to them to hear these new, odd shaped speakers. I still like the concept of the prismatic face with dual sets of drivers. The horizontal dispersion easily fills up a room with sound. This works well for movies also, since I don't have a center channel, they fill the space in front of the TV quite well with dialogue. I agree with others above, they were a little soft at the extremes but for the rest of the bandwidth, they were fairly linear and very transparent sounding for the time. I've occasionally thought of selling them but can never get myself to part with them. They were my first real "high end" speaker and they've become part of the family.
    stevenk
    wrmason-c173
    1 posts
     
    I'd welcome recommendations for placement in a large L-shaped room. Thanks!
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