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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
    sanlanman
    10 posts
     
    I have a pair of Time Window 3s I bought new in the early 80s. They have been semi retired for about 10 years because one has a non working tweeter. But, they are in excellent physical condition, and as others have noted, their spacial presentation is hard to duplicate by most other speakers. I am looking to seriously upgrade to a combo 2 channel and Home Theater setup in early 2008. This thread has got me itching to take the TW3s out of retirement and repair/tweak them, so I am interested in all information relating to this. I would use them as temporary rear channel speakers then move them upstairs to go with my old RGR amp and preamp for the game room later. Somewhere I ran across a suggested tweeter replacement but can no longer find the link. Any guidance on repair and upgrade on the TW3s would be appreciated.
    scramman
    43 posts
     
    Whats the key to the versioning? 1, 1a, 7. From what I have read the 7 is a 3-way design? The others are 2 way?

    If this deal comes through I will have a pair from 1980 next week.

    I missed out on a pair of 7's last week (if my thoughts about driver# is correct).

    I am still upset about selling my Dahlquist DQ-10's in 1978. That won't happen again.
    tjkoch1999's avatar
    tjkoch1999
    1 posts
     
    I still have a pair of DCM Time Windows that I use in my basement system. The foam grills disintegrated and removed them. They still sound awesome.
    horswispr
    1 posts
     
    I still have a pair of original Time Windows. They probably aren't as accurate, nor as dynamic, as many of the best modern speakers, but they're the speakers I always return to. In fact, I'm listening to my pair as I write. They're just really enjoyable and non-fatiguing, in my experience. I actually wrote a pretty thorough review on Epinions, to which I'll try and post a link. My Time Windows outlasted several well-known speakers in my collection, including Vandersteen 2Cis. I finally sold them (the Time Windows), regretted it, and scored a cosmetically challenged pair cheap, which I refinished and am now using (along with Cambridge Soundworks Towers, AR2axs, KLH 6s, and others, depending on my mood). Really nice speakers, I think.

    http://www.epinions.com/review/DCM_Time_Windows_epi/content_511587618436
    bonhamcopeland
    10 posts
     
    When I was a kid, my neighbor had a pair of these. He knew I played drums (for obvious reasons) so he had me over once to show off his brand new Sony CD player ("the way of the future, son"). He even had a flashy TEAC graphic EQ to boot. Man oh man, when he dropped in a Rush CD and all the levels started to jump up and down, I went a little spacey. I had never heard anything sound that amazing. I used to house sit for them and spent a lot of time listening to those Time Windows. But I can't remember "what" the sound was like. And as much as I'd love to hear those speakers again, I wonder if reality would hold up to my memory? Kind of like your old neighborhood looking smaller than you remember. Anyhow, those DCM's planted a seed and I'd like to think my younger self would approve of my "grown-up" rig. (Although he'd wonder what I was doing with all these old fashioned records and this laptop/dac/internet thingy.)
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