My evening with my new DCM Timeframes.

[JohnVF]

I'm bored...so I'll write about my new speakers! Apologies if I bore you as well...

I've been wanting to hear DCM's for a while now. I really wanted Timewindows, to hear what the big fuss was about. So when "DCM tower speakers $50" showed up on my local CL, no picture, I jumped on them. It was a gamble, but if you hesitate on CL, you lose. So, I said I'd take them, as there was a bit of info in the listing that made it a pretty good bet they weren't the best buy dreck...."orig $1200".

Well, they weren't Timewindows. I'd figured that out after talking to the seller, who didn't know what they were but said they were tall and flat rectangles. Ah...must be Timeframes. And they were. TF-600s.

I got them last week, and hooked them up quickly and wasn't impressed, but I didn't have time to play until today. This evening I got home and decided that these have enough people talking about them that I should give them a second shot. I moved my Dahlquist 30s clean out of the way (ugh my back) and went into audio-overdrive. Out came the dynaco 70. Ok, they sound ok after all, but not what I was expecting. They had NO bottom end but they imaged pretty decently. Well, they're TL and rear ported...so I backed them against the wall. Hey! there's the bass. But now they don't image. Hmm..they have tweeters on the back, so I'll pull them out a bit. That's better. Maybe a little toe-in. Hmm..maybe a little more. No, a little less.

So I got them sounding decently but they still lacked bass. I put my big SS amp back in play and that helped a bit. Over in the corner sat my unused velodyne sub, which used to see HT use. Ah, why not..I don't like subs but my room is eating up the bass in these speakers. I ran the other out on my pre to the sub and played with levels for ten minutes. Then I moved the speakers 3 feet farther apart, the toe'd them back in just a little bit more then...

Bamn!

Holy cow! These things are FANTASTIC. If I hadn't put in about two hours of time on placement and matching the amplification and sub, I'd never have known. They really sounded very average when i set them up in the spots in my room that typically work well. And the sub just glued everything together. They sound simply beautiful on all types of music I have played through them. They are dynamic and the soundstage and imaging is phenomenal.

To use subjective words...they are drier yet more detailed than my DQ-30s, with much less apparent bass but what is there is great. They mate seemlessly with my sub, which is crossed over pretty low. In regards to the accuracy of timbre, I prefer the Dahlquists, but these aren't bad. The Dahlquists sound more natural and sound 'bigger', but these aren't far behind at all. And if you knew how much I loved my DQ-30s....And these are smaller, and take up less space and don't have to stand in the middle of the room to sound this good.

I've read a lot about the imaging abilities of DCM's better speakers, and once properly set up it is there on the Tf-600s. They have two tweeters on the back of each speaker, one on each side near the top. Whatever they are doing, they create one heck of a feel for 'room'. I listened to some recordings I'd made with some friends, us playing acoustic guitars...and I'd never sensed the room in those recordings like this before, not even on headphones. I also listen to a lot of recordings with reverb....the songs on John Cale's "Paris 1919" just filled my rather large room. The vocals were centered, but the space around them went beyond the speakers, above and beyond.

So, I'm know this isn't a technical review, but if anybody has Timeframes and isn't really feeling them, I really suggest playing a long time with placement. The distance from the wall and toe-in seemed to make more difference than distance from my listening seat, though right now they are forming an equilateral triangle as suggested in the owners manual. I have them about a foot from the wall, toe'd in a few degrees.

So, that was long winded and without point...except that if you see "DCM Tower speakers $50" you should jump on them. Sometimes gambles pay off.

[senna87]

I've got in a lot of time with Timewindows, always seemed a bit thin to me, but imaging was remarkable if you put enough time into placement. If they were a bit more warm, I'd gush over them. I never got in much time with Timeframes, thanks for relating your thoughts.

[birddog]

I have a pair of the TF-600's, and they really are a very nice speaker, but like you said, placement makes a big difference, and the bass will not impress you if you are used to a set-up that has a lot of low end grunt, but I find it more than adequate. If I listen to them after running my Cerwin-Vegas, it takes a bit to adjust to the difference in the bass output. Of course, the room environment can make a difference as well.

Once you get them set up properly, they are hard to beat without spending some serious money. Prices have been going up slowly on them, as word has spread, but they still are usually found for less than $150 at the most. You got a nice deal on yours for $50! I paid $80 for mine a couple of years ago. I heard a pair of TF-700's at the last get-together at Markus's house, and I thought the bass was much better on the 700's.

[dr*audio]

I have the TF-700's and they are anything but bass shy, with real, useable bass response down to 32Hz. So if you like the 600's check out the 700's or the 1000's (Hard to find.) No subwoofer needed. Yep, DCM sure made great sounding speakers.

[ehoove]

The woofers in the TF600 series are known to stiffen up if not played for a while. The pair I had took about 25 hours to loosen up, and then the bottom end was more than adequate. Transmission line enclosures can really produce acurate bass response.
Regards,
Jim

[JohnVF]

I've got in a lot of time with Timewindows, always seemed a bit thin to me, but imaging was remarkable if you put enough time into placement. If they were a bit more warm, I'd gush over them. I never got in much time with Timeframes, thanks for relating your thoughts.

I thought I was going to have the same opinion of these but I've never heard a speaker sound so completely different depending on setup. They're very warm now. The sub is only working from 35 on down, and you wouldn't even know it's on, but it really makes the whole range seem fuller. And it's possible as said about that the woofers needed a bit of time for the surrounds to become flexible again.

My other transmission line speakers, Regas, have a tremendous amount of bass for a small speaker, but they are also very room dependent, though not as much as the Timeframes.

[himm37]

I recently picked up a pair of these with DCM's 612 subwoofer, made for the Timeframe/Window series. It has a 6 inch foward firing driver, and a 12 inch downfiring passive radiator. My current system uses a passive pre, so could'nt drive both the sub and main amp correctly, so I moved on to something else I wanted to try. Next time a good powered pre comes along, I will set them up and try them.

[Arkay]

They (TFM 700s) sound wonderful stacked atop Gradient open-baffle subwoofers, in place of the Quad ESL 63s that are supposed to be put there. Well, wonderful if, like me, you have the Gradients but don't have the ESLs! :D

Take up a lot more space that way than the Dahlquist 12s, though, and if I want something that big in the living room, the Infinity RS IIs run circles around the TFMs sonically, so I'm not sure why I keep the TFMs... but they are very nice, and I don't want to part with them. Probably will eventually, though.:sigh:

[Tedrick]

I have some TF-600s in the garage awaiting some cosmetic refurbishment. From my impromptu listening tests, I found them to sound pretty darn nice, with plenty of bass and a smooth, clean treble. I haven't really put them through their paces in a proper set-up, but what I've heard so far left me fairly impressed.

[JohnVF]

Now that I've spent more than a one-night-stand with them, I still like them. They won't be replacing my Dahlquists, but they're definitely a nice change of pace, and they actually do some things better to my ears. I find them to be more fatiguing, though. The high-end doesn't sound as smooth or natural, but it's not bad by any means. It's better than most, but the DQs just bring a naturalness and ease to the sound that I've gotten way too used to and spoiled by.

Also, I've noticed that they sound really rich and full when I'm in the sweet spot, but when I'm out of it, the midrange really seems to fall out. But I always listen in the middle, so no harm.

So now that I've done the DCM thing...what next?

[Arkay]

Now that I've spent more than a one-night-stand with them, I still like them. They won't be replacing my Dahlquists, but they're definitely a nice change of pace, and they actually do some things better to my ears. I find them to be more fatiguing, though. The high-end doesn't sound as smooth or natural, but it's not bad by any means. It's better than most, but the DQs just bring a naturalness and ease to the sound that I've gotten way too used to and spoiled by.

Also, I've noticed that they sound really rich and full when I'm in the sweet spot, but when I'm out of it, the midrange really seems to fall out. But I always listen in the middle, so no harm.

So now that I've done the DCM thing...what next?



Have you done the ESS AMT thing? Rock monitors are a step up... even from the Dahlquists!

[thedelihaus]

I really enjoyed John's (Birddog's) Timeframe 600s. Very nice speakers. And Mark's (Mhardy's) Timewindows were another impressive speaker.

My room is far from a bass trap, so I've found anything around 35Hz to be adequate in my nearfield-like setup. I've owned a pair of CX-27s, and they are a tower design with drivers the same as the Timeframe series. These would actually get a tad bit boomy if not placed properly.

I miss those CX-27s. A near-perfect speaker for a HT setup, with a sub for a large room, or sub-less in a small room as they are a 35Hz speaker.

[KingBubba]

I have a pair of 600s and have found them a pleasure to listen to. I first listened to them in the middle of my livingroom, well away from the walls and was impressed with the bass. In their present setup in a very small room, near the walls and near the corners the sound is full and rich. They sit atop a pair of JBL LX600 as a stack. The JBLs provide any of the bass that the 600s may be lacking. Being close to the walls helps the rear firing tweeters. It is not a perfect setup but it works for me.

I'm glad you are enjoying yours. With the other great speakers you have ,they are in a tough competition, but I believe they can stand well on their own merits. Enjoy.

[JohnVF]

Have you done the ESS AMT thing? Rock monitors are a step up... even from the Dahlquists!

I haven't. There's actually a pair on my local Craigslist for $150(!) but (frown) it's only the cabinets and crossovers. No drivers. I'd love to hear a pair.

Next in line are Vandersteen Model II (the originals, from the '70s). I just had the mid range drivers rebuilt and need to solder them back in. The DCMs actually cut in line, as the mid-range drivers have been done for over a week.

After that, I'm getting new drivers from Phase Tech for my PC 8.5s. I actually have really high hopes for these speakers. They are some of the most solid (heavy) speakers for their size I have ever seen.

And then...? I don't know. The AR3as are going to get a full workover, but there aren't meant for my main system. They're for the Fisher tube equipment I'm having rebuilt. Maybe big Infinities, as I like my smaller ones so much.

Ugh, it's just endless. Isn't it fun though?!