DCM KX-10 series 2 or JBL CF 100

jkcoondog3

jkcoondog3

Active Member
I'd like to know from some of you members out there which one of these speaker pairs you would keep? I may be moving soon and need to consolidate on some of my speakers, so I need to sell some to make room. Any opinions? DCM or JBL
 
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I have DCM KX10s, I'm very pleased with them, up-front sounding speakers with very good efficiency.

Unless anyone has a pair of these and the JBLs you mention, all opinions are just hearsay.

Lee.
 
leesonic said:
I have DCM KX10s, I'm very pleased with them, up-front sounding speakers with very good efficiency.

Unless anyone has a pair of these and the JBLs you mention, all opinions are just hearsay.

Lee.
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There is such a thing as educated hearsay tho - :yes:

I've had about 20 pairs of JBLs personally and heard many many more ...
there is a great deal of variation in the JBL model lines, and based on using cheap drivers,
the CF100s look to be generic Big box store type speakers.
Perhaps not bad, but certainly not great.


DCMs - I only own 2 of the TF (DCM Time Frame) systems -
and I hear the Time Windows speakers are better than the Time frame speakers
Now, based on the DCMs I see on the local CL, the KX models doesn't look to hold much value ...
and even a small bit of research shows the older DCMs are better thought of than the KX ...

So - the KX-10s may be fine, I'm really not dissing them,
but if you can do better by selling 2 pairs of good speakers to get 1 pair of better speakers, why wouldn't you?
 
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When I last heard those DCM's, they reminded me of a Cerwin Vega, and that's not really a compliment. I have not heard those particular JBL's, but I think it's a known fact they are not very high up the JBL food chain, and a frequency response looking graph affixed to the front of the cabinet is not usually a good sign, but they do have binding posts which is a good sign.

I'd say either speaker probably sounds OK, and if OK is good enough, there's no need to look elsewhere, but JBL and DCM both make considerably better speakers than those two.
 
The DCM KX series was post-timeframe/CX-07/17/27 series and were decent, but specifically marketed to sell at stores like Best Buy, where price point was more important than quality and sound.

The JBL CF series seem to be a lower priced, budget effort alternative of the Northridge line.

I think some decent advice has been levied- I imagine you could sell both pair and pool that money into one of the many audio bargains out there to be had. Lots of great speakers can be found for about $75-$200.

What type of music are you into? Volume you listen at? Your other components?
 
I have JBL CF120 and I like them better than DCM KX12.
I auditioned KX12 and they were very harsh sounding compared to JBL CF120.
Assuming similar specs for CF100 vs KX10, if you have to choose between two, JBL otherwise get better models other suggested.
 
thedelihaus said:
The DCM KX series was post-timeframe/CX-07/17/27 series and were decent, but specifically marketed to sell at stores like Best Buy, where price point was more important than quality and sound.

The JBL CF series seem to be a lower priced, budget effort alternative of the Northridge line.

I think some decent advice has been levied- I imagine you could sell both pair and pool that money into one of the many audio bargains out there to be had. Lots of great speakers can be found for about $75-$200.

What type of music are you into? Volume you listen at? Your other components?
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I listen to a wide variety of music (easy listening, jazz, classic rock, even a little classical every now and then. Moderate volume and several pieces of vintage gear ranging from sansui AU-717, sansui 881, pioneer sx-3800 and a few lower wattage receivers. Use to be a hard-core rock and roller in the zeppelin days but have kinda mellowed out. Even listen to some classic country (merle, willie, waylon and the boys of earlier country music. Been in construction most of my life and have lost a lot of hearing so its hard for me to tell between exceptionally good speakers and mediocre. I can certainly tell from a real cheap speaker though. I've had a few vintage speakers and was not really that impressed.
 
I have the KX-10 IIs. They are good at what they do, which is rocking hard. Bass is powerful, but kinda boomy, mids are a little muddy and the highs can be harsh when paired with certain amps/receivers. They certainly sound better with my Technics SU-G90 than with my Sansui 5900z.
 
I always thought the DCM KX series offered a lot of bang for the buck. I was shopping years ago at Circuit City for speakers for a young nephew and for the price the DCM KX-12's were by far the best performing speaker in their sound room. My teenage nephew was new to hi-fi systems and just loved them as he could really crank up his Weird Al Yankovic CD's! (lol)
 
hjames said:
There is such a thing as educated hearsay though
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Not really.

Just because a speaker has a DCM or JBL badge on it does not guarantee a certain sound. Taking the DCM first, the KX10 series 2s (and other in that series) sound a lot different to say, a pair of TimeFrame 350s which I also had (refoamed the woofers). At only 6.5", those woofers couldn't produce as much bass as the 10" ones in the KX10s. And the weird cabinet shape took up just about the same space as any other floorstander.

Looking at the JBL, I have only had a few different pairs, some L100s (which are keepers) and some L55s (which I sold on). I bet if you compared a set of "vintage" JBLs to some of the ones they sell now, you'll hear a world of difference.

My advice to the original poster is have a listen to the two speakers you have, and see which ones you want to keep.

Lee.
 
OK guys, I've listened and I am going to keep the DCM's for right now until some better speakers come along. I'm on a tight budget, so I think the DCM's will hold me for awhile. thanks for all the help and opinions. I gain a little more knowledge every time I post a thread on this site, I am glad to be a member for I have learned so much in just a couple of years.
 
my neighbor just put a pair of these DCM KX10s on my porch. been listening for couple hours now. I have noticed the bass is not there if you are not right in front of them in the listening area. can be a bit of a bummer if you like to turn it up while you work around the house. highs can be a bit harsh when turned way up.
if you want to turn it up and make your neighbors ears bleed, these will do it. these things really seem to like rock n roll. can't tell if the set I just picked up are series 2 or not, sticker doesn't say.

never had a set of the JBL's you mentioned.

just my 2 cents for ya!
 
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thedelihaus said:
The DCM KX series was post-timeframe/CX-07/17/27 series and were decent, but specifically marketed to sell at stores like Best Buy, where price point was more important than quality and sound.

The JBL CF series seem to be a lower priced, budget effort alternative of the Northridge line.

I think some decent advice has been levied- I imagine you could sell both pair and pool that money into one of the many audio bargains out there to be had. Lots of great speakers can be found for about $75-$200.

What type of music are you into? Volume you listen at? Your other components?
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Those aren't at the big box stores. You have to be actively searching or staying in the look out. Can take time, maybe years for the game changer of a speaker. In my less informed years I bought Altec's modern offerings with 12" 3-ways that sounded good. I gave them away to a friend after the game changer. But I have to many speakers. Always get the best you can afford from the best sounding west coast sounding speaker.
 
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For the KX 10's some poly caps help a lot. 2- 3.3uf and 1- 100uf electrolytic. I also remove one leg of the tweeter protection bulb to test it. There is a large brace that is just behind the woofer that connects both sides of the cabinet and I add 2 front to back just above the woofer. Lowes sells a roll of insulation that's great for speakers. It's 1" thick. I add some to the back and sides and bottom of the cabinet (there isn't any there).

I had a pair of KX 12's last year that we used a small plastic bowl to seal the back of the mid and it really made a big difference. I think both the KX 12 and the KX 10 are a good bang for the buck with some tweeking. I have a pair of both in my shop and some day, some day I will get around to testing both and see what I can do with them.
 
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