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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.

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    • ferrari

    Showing 8 responses by hauser

    hauser
    8 posts
     
    DCM stands for "Dreps Crone Maze"

    I have a set of TW1a's, TW3's and the "BIG Daddy" TimeWindow Seven's. If your are looking for a center or surround speaker, the CX17 are a perfect voice match for the TimeFrame and the TW3's & TW7's.

    These speakers are built to last.
    hauser
    8 posts
     
    Cwheh,
    The TimeWindows do very well in a 5.1 set up. The apex of the speaker should point straight forward for the mains. If used for surrounds you need to point them at each other from the side walls behind the listening area. Try to find a DCM CX-17 for center channel.

    Apanthropy,
    It was also said that DCM stood for "Drug Capital of Michigan" because they were made in Ann Arbor. Actualy DCM stands for "Dreps Crone Maze". I got that directly from Steve Eberbach.

    There's a set of TimeWidow Three's (much more refined then the original or 1a) on Ebay right now, those are the ones to get, Unless you can find Steve's signature series the TimeWindow Sevens.

    Good listening!
    hauser
    8 posts
     
    Rolando, are you disagreeing with my statement that the TimeWindow 3’s are a 2-way design? I wasn't sure. You are correct in the description of the speaker in your post, but the speaker is still a 2-way design. I also have a set and there is one review of the TW3's from Stereo Review –Feb 92 that mentioned that they were 3-way. I was under the same assumption also; Steve Eberbach was the one who told me they were a 2-way design.
    hauser
    8 posts
     
    I've just recently finished a custom center speaker based off the DCM CX17 to match the TimeWindow Sevens. Steve Eberbach worked with me on the design. It uses the same diamond coated tweeter that the Seven uses and the new crossover incorporates the same "time delay" and tweeter dampening circuits. I have a set of 1a's, 3's and 7's. Like Argonaut said "they're irreplaceable", unless Steve comes up with something bigger and better. "Dreps Chrone Maze"
    hauser
    8 posts
     
    Mmakshak, What problems have you head of? Can you provide a link? I think what Rolando is referring to is that the big advantage the Threes have is that you can compensate for room irregularities with the user controls on the top rear of the speaker. You can adjust overall tweeter output along with separate control over high and midrange level on the ambient (outside face) side of the speaker. To give an example, if you have a wall on the left of your listening area and a door opening on the right, you can bump up the level on the ambient side of the right speaker to compensate. The inboard drivers stay the same as not to affect imaging. In normal a listening environment, all three dials would be straight up.
    hauser
    8 posts
     
    Pcurtin,
    I might have mention before, in the TimeWindow series, only the 3's and the 7's are designed as rights and lefts. The difference is in the ambient side of the speaker. The 3's are adjustable and the 7's are fixed at 6 dB lower than the direct side. It would be safe to assume that you have a pair.
    Rolando,
    I think the thread on the AVS forum that Mmakshak is referring to deals with a problem with one TimeWindow Seven. It ended up being a bad or loose solder joint in the crossover and a blown fuse. The Three's are also a two-way design, only the Seven's were three-way.

    Of all the speakers that Steve Eberbach design at DCM, he said the TimeWindow Three's and Seven's were his favorites.
    hauser
    8 posts
     
    Arnold, only the TimeWindow Three's and Seven's were mirrored. The original's and the 1A's were both identical, no right or left.

    Klm, some of the earlier TimeFrames like the TF700 used the same 8" driver as the TW3, but the later TimeFrames like the TF600 did not.
    hauser
    8 posts
     
    I just talk to Steve for a better explanation on the TW3’s. As stated before, they are a 2-way design as far as the crossover is concerned. Just a high and low pass filter, but they can act like a 3-way based on the position of the mid level adjustment. With it set to max, you are adding resistance to the 8" driver reducing the midrange output, and increasing the midrange to the 6.5". When it is set to min, the opposite happens. In this position it acts like a 3-way. The 6.5" and 8" are both in the same chamber. There is also a factor of how the back pressure affects each drive when the midrange is adjusted. How does he come up with these ideas? I hope this helps.
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