Sony SS-M7 vs TimeFrame 600

cubdog

banging through drywall
I hauled the TimeFrame out of the basement today. In a very brief and inexact shootout against my Sony SS-M7s I was a bit shocked by the outcome. Let me say first of all I'm a big fan of DCM speakers. I use the 600s in the basement, with a TV, mostly for concert DVDs and the music channels when I'm on the treadmill.
Both speaker sets are fully functional although neither have been recapped. I listened to various blues artists via MOG. The amp was my Shuguang KT88 which puts out around 50wpc.
The results in a nutshell. The Sony's kicked ass all over the TimeFrames. It wasn't even close. In virtually every category the Sony's excelled over the 600s. The TimeFrames sound harsh and brittle by comparison. The Sony's bass was much deeper and tighter and they were very much smoother sounding.
Remember, I like the TF600s and still do however I had never put them directly against the SS-M7.
All this does is reinforce my belief in the exceptional SQ of these wonderful Sony speakers. Wow.

cubdog
 
Hey Cubdog

I have no experience with DCM-TF-600 myself but I will be picking up a pair of SS-M7's this weekend..
I have been researching them on the net after I had seen them.
I had known they were good but after reading reviews by owners like yourself and even Stereophile and another magazine on-line,I am jumping all over this pair.
I am aware the big Japanese companies have come up with some real gems.
The Sony's intrigued me when I saw them because I recognized the drivers used.
Also having a pair of Yamaha NS-1000M's on hand would make for a great comparison to post here.

Matt....tubeornotube
 
Hey Cubdog

I have no experience with DCM-TF-600 myself but I will be picking up a pair of SS-M7's this weekend..
I have been researching them on the net after I had seen them.
I had known they were good but after reading reviews by owners like yourself and even Stereophile and another magazine on-line,I am jumping all over this pair.
I am aware the big Japanese companies have come up with some real gems.
The Sony's intrigued me when I saw them because I recognized the drivers used.
Also having a pair of Yamaha NS-1000M's on hand would make for a great comparison to post here.

Matt....tubeornotube

Good for you Matt. I'll be shocked if you don't love them. Be sure to post you're impressions when you have a chance.

cubdog
 
I'm not a huge DCM fan and the 600s are my least favorites of the Time Frames that I've heard. They are noticeably less detailed and extended on the top end than any of the DCMs with a proper tweeter. Those mylar jobbies on the 250/600/CX17/CX27 are very cost-effective when on a super super tight budget but they simply don't compare to a proper tweeter like the Vifa from most of the other Time Frames.

Big fan of the M7s. No doubt, I'd have expected the Sonys to win in almost every category except possibly filling a room with sound. In terms of detail, air, accuracy, intimacy... I'd expect the Sonys to absolutely crush the DCMs.

I just barely missed out on a pair of SS-M3s about a year ago. On ebay. All drivers worked and the tops, sides and backs were in very nice condition but the bottoms had some cosmetic issues. Maybe even water damage. I think I could have fixed that pretty easily. Seller was local and asking about $100 for shipping and said I could pick them up for no shipping charges. I think they went for just under $100. I would have gone at least $200 for them. Oh well.
 
I'm shamelessly bumping this thread. I really thought it would be of more interest given the two speakers discussed. The TimeFrame are very popular and familiar to many here. The Sony is much less common but pretty much universally praised by all who have heard them.
So this is for anyone interested who may have missed it yesterday. I promise to let it die if there is no further interest. :yes:

cubdog
 
I don't have any experience with the Sony speakers, but I do have TF-600's. The one modification I've done is to replace the original Mylar tweeters with Tang Band silk dome units, that were approved by Steve Eberbach. This does smooth out the top end significantly. I think the speakers still sound congested in the midrange, but possibly replacing the crossover caps could alleviate that.

Comparing the DCM's to the Sony's seems like comparing a Taurus SHO to a Nissan GT-R. The latter is in another whole league than the former... :thmbsp:
 
Comparing the DCM's to the Sony's seems like comparing a Taurus SHO to a Nissan GT-R. The latter is in another whole league than the former... :thmbsp:

True, but I see stranger comparisons almost daily. Also, used prices aren't that much different providing you can find a deal on the Sony's and there are deals out there.

cubdog
 
I don't have any experience with the Sony speakers, but I do have TF-600's. The one modification I've done is to replace the original Mylar tweeters with Tang Band silk dome units, that were approved by Steve Eberbach. This does smooth out the top end significantly. I think the speakers still sound congested in the midrange, but possibly replacing the crossover caps could alleviate that.

Comparing the DCM's to the Sony's seems like comparing a Taurus SHO to a Nissan GT-R. The latter is in another whole league than the former... :thmbsp:

From what little I know, that's what I was thinking. I lucked up on some TF-350's that I offered to restore for a local music shop, then they fired the guy who gave me the job. So, now they're mine. :D

Those little guys rock, but am I to understand mine have a vifa, whereas the 600 has a mylar? I owned some DCM CX-27's, and thought those little neodymium magnet tweeters were the weak link.
 
I'm not surprised, and I haven't even listened to either speaker! The TF600 is a good speaker, for sure, but the Sony is a work of art. I've always wanted to hear a set of those. One day, maybe. :)
 
I'm not at all surprised by the outcome. After owning the SS-M9ED's, I haven't heard much that comes close. I'm sure the M7's aren't far behind...
 
... but am I to understand mine have a vifa, whereas the 600 has a mylar? I owned some DCM CX-27's, and thought those little neodymium magnet tweeters were the weak link.
Yes. The TF-350s used a modified Vifa 3/4" tweeter.

TF-275, TF-400, TF-600 and the CX-Series all used the mylar tweeters.
 
Also having a pair of Yamaha NS-1000M's on hand would make for a great comparison to post here.

I've always loved the looks of the Sony SS-M7 and I've always wondered how they'd compare sonically to my NS-1000M's that I enjoy so much for their transparency/accuracy ... so yes please, I'd enjoy reading your comparison post on those 2. :thmbsp:
 
I've had an interest in the Sony's for some time, I think back when John picked up a set. I have yet to see either 3's or 7's anywhere close but like everything else I've acquired, I know if I'm patient, the right deal will come along, This is one of those speakers that I would buy without hearing first simply based on others experience with them, and I don't do that often...
 
The outcome isn't very surprising if you ask me. They're in completely different leagues IMO.
 
The outcome isn't very surprising if you ask me. They're in completely different leagues IMO.

It didn't surprise me either. But sometimes it's fun to compare speakers that are very different and highly regarded even if they are not in the same class. It's just apart of the hobby. What surprised me the most is how the comparisons accentuated the faults of the TimeFrames and the qualities of the Sony's. I appreciate the Sony's more than ever.

cubdog
 
I agree. Often times, there should be a comparison in the same room with the same ancillary gear to appreciate the other gear.

For example, over the last few months in my bedroom/office rig, I've been listening to the Paradigm Atom v5s and the Pioneer SPBS21s (note these are the previous version to the current production 22s but both got plenty of praise).

They each have their strengths. The overall vibe of the Pioneers is that they offer a nice, neutral presentation. Not frightening lows, not overly extended highs. They are detailed-ish but certainly round off the upper end. Basically they offer a taste of the less detailed high end at a very low price. The Paradigms, at about twice the price, offer a more detailed and more forward presentation, again, a glimpse of higher end gear that does not roll off the top end.

That's what I'd been listening to for the bulk of the past year while occasionally slipping in the Insignia coaxial jobbie that was popular a couple years ago.

Well, a couple months ago, I put my PSB Image 2Bs (slightly modified with a replacement Vifa tweeter) and remembered how much radically better a real speaker is. It's more in line with the general vibe of the Paradigm, but like a brother that is about eight years older and more accomplished in every way. The Atoms are very good, but the Image 2B sort of walks in the room and says, 'Let me show you how it's really done, kid' as he brushes them aside.

The PSBs could be my full time, all the time speakers in my only rig while the Pioneers and Atoms do a very good job at filling in the role until really real speakers come along.

Obviously that's WAY too much personification for an comparison of speakers, but sometimes speakers that sound good to very good... well, sometimes that's just our ears getting accustomed to what is hooked up at the moment. Over weeks or months, we start to forget what we are missing. Exceptional speakers put good speakers in their place very quickly.
 
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I've always loved the looks of the Sony SS-M7 and I've always wondered how they'd compare sonically to my NS-1000M's that I enjoy so much for their transparency/accuracy ... so yes please, I'd enjoy reading your comparison post on those 2. :thmbsp:

To throw my opinion into the ring, I owned the NS1000s for a few years during my senior year of high school and through college. I'm a musician and played several instruments, mostly winds and esp the strings. My intention was to be a music major with a concentration in early music. I know what acoustic instruments sound like. Not gloating in any way, just giving perspective.

To me, while doing many things well, the Yamahas always sounded hyper-realistic or hyper-detailed. Sort of the way a picture looks if you use a 36MP Canon with an $2,000 lens and zoom in three or four times in software. You are seeing things that you literally cannot see under normal conditions. The picture looks great, but it's just too... right there.

The M7s are sort of like looking at that same picture but without zooming in artifically. They are very detailed and do most of those same things well than the NS1000s do well, but the Sonys feel and sound more natural while the Yamahas sound like they have been tweaked to allow recording engineers hear super tiny details that the music-enjoying public doesn't really care about.

Also, the Sonys have a bit more bottom end. Maybe not so much in extension, but they sound like they are filling the listening space a bit more effectively from 200 Hz down. Maybe the Yamahas are more accurate in that region or maybe they are rolled off to allow the listener to hear more detail from 200 Hz and up, I don't know but to my ears, the Sonys basically sound fuller without sounding
bloated at all.

Not trying to rip on the Yamahas at all. They were recommended to me by an acoustic musician after I mentioned strongly that I wanted accuracy over rocking or thumping. I've obviously moved away from them, but I think they set a very high bar that I continue to use and still influences my expectations to this day, some 20 years later.

Having said that, I definitely look forward to hearing other opinions on comparing the Sonys to the Yamahas.
 
I can confirm the differences from the Yamaha NS1000M and a pair of Sony SS-M9s. The Sonys go deeper and are tighter in the bass end. The Yamaha is a bit brighter in the mid-range and highs. I need to set the mid-range control to -2 to compensate. The Yamaha may seem a bit a bit more detailed or appear to have a faster transient response, but the Sony is smoother overall.
 
Hey... any other speakers you have extended experience with in the last few years, cubdog?
 
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