DCM Time Frame comparison

[dewdude]

I've said it before, and Ill say it a thousand times.

I only have a pair of TF200's, but, they are, hands down, best speakers I've ever heard. I haven't heard larger TFs, but I bet they're just outstanding.

 

[centsless]

HJames...thanks for the spec sheet and sock redo links. I never knew my specs on the 700's and will come in handy and I will have to redo the socks on mine. The previous owners let his cat have at them...but that's why I got them for $75...:thmbsp:

I agree with most here that these speakers are wonderful imaging speakers. Have them hooked up to the G-8000 and is a nice match. I even made a little cabinet with one inch oak top to accent the speakers....

 

[60 Cycle Hum]

I have the original Timewindows and the Timeframe 600's. There was a pair of TF-1000's for sale on the Hilton Head Is. Craigslist last year. I didn't feel that I had to further the collection at the price they were asking.

I've about $50 total in mine. Minty TW's, ratty 600's that I'll eventually re-sock.

I'm hoping a spec sheet shows up for the TF 600's.

Great thread!

 

[hjames]

Thanks for all the kind words and positive feedback everybody!
Just a general note - If anyone has any Spec sheets or technical notes that aren't in the thread already,
please PM them to me or post them here to add to the resources.
The idea is to share and pool whatever we have.
Thanks again!

 

[CygnusDen]

Here are a couple of interesting PDFs for the TF-600s and TF-1000s that I downloaded from AK at some point (all credit goes to the original posters).

Regarding the smaller TFs, I wouldn't dismiss them as being completely inferior to the larger ones. I own both TF-250s and 600s, and the 250s actually seem to have a more realistic sounding midrange. Well-recorded vocals are so lifelike that it sometimes freaks out our dog, who tries to figure out where the voices are coming from. None of my other speakers (including the 600s) have this effect. For the right price (say $50/pr or less), TF-250s are great speakers for lower-level listening in a smaller room. It seems that every member of the TF lineup has something to offer.

 

[dr*audio]

Those TF700's are from the first production run. You can tell because the grille doesn't wrap around the back. My TF700's are also first production. I saw the prototypes at the CES and checked the store every week until the first ones arrived. Great speakers!

 

[hjames]

I've said it before, and Ill say it a thousand times.

I only have a pair of TF400's, but, they are, hands down, best speakers I've ever heard.
I haven't heard larger TFs, but I bet they're just outstanding.

I've seen TF250 and TF350 offered locally ... and larger ones of course ...
care to share some pix and info with us?
Don't be shy - most of us that have older speakers have some pulls or snags in the sock ...

Here are pix of some DCM TF250s I've seen for sale nearby ...
it'd be interesting to compare them to the TF500s ...

 

[dewdude]

I have a picture of my "media rack" online, which shows the DCMs:

http://dewdu.de/mediarack-new.jpg -and-
http://dewdu.de/mediarack.jpg

They're, I don't know, 4ft tall, about 8 inches at the base and 4 at the top (I'm really guessing). I went to fix an Elvis pinball down in Stafford. Woman said her brother in law was an "audio nut" and gave them to her. She told me to take them or they were going in the dumpster. So I took 'em. Which is why you never saw them on CL or anything. I've had them since Jan of 2009 (I think it was '09).

Socks have holes in them, and one is crooked. The result of a 5 minute tweeter replacement on both. The foam that covers the cabinet needs changing. They are in need of overhauling entirely, but I haven't because they sound so damn good.

I think its a 6.5" woofer..might be 6. Then the same size for midrange with, the tweeter above that in a coaxial configuration. 6 ohm nominal, 92db/w/m. I cannot remember the maximum handling...I think they're recommended for 5 - 120 watt loads.

There's a thread from early 2009 when I got them, someone gave me the spec sheets then.

I believe they are the smallest in the TF series.

 

[js1138]

The CX series use the same drivers as the 600 and should be in any collection that tries to be complete.

I have TF-600s, CX-17s, and Time Pieces. the TPs need a subwoofer.

 

[hjames]

Cool - thanks for sharing!

I have a picture of my "media rack" online, which shows the DCMs:

-and-

They're, I don't know, 4ft tall, about 8 inches at the base and 4 at the top (I'm really guessing). I went to fix an Elvis pinball down in Stafford. Woman said her brother in law was an "audio nut" and gave them to her. She told me to take them or they were going in the dumpster. So I took 'em. Which is why you never saw them on CL or anything. I've had them since Jan of 2009 (I think it was '09).

There's a thread from early 2009 when I got them, someone gave me the spec sheets then.

I believe they are the smallest in the TF series.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=203284 More on the TF400s

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=211635 Thread on TF400s

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=217375 Thread on tweeter fix

 

[dewdude]

I just realized I was DEAD wrong about having 200s. Sorry. They're 400s.

I don't know where 200 came from..I saw 250 mentioned and thought mine were the smallest. Just flipped on its side. I can't believe I forgot what model they were. I bet I've said 200s several times.

Wow. I'm an idiot today.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Anubis]

This is a great thread! I have a pair of DCM TF-600s that I just love! I'd love to grab another nice pair of maybe a nice pair of TF-700s. My 600s have the black caps, but I am thinking about stripping them and staining them if it can be done safely. It's bad enough that one of them needs some repair to the sock on top. I still have not figured out how to safely get into and out of the socks and put everything back together. Perhaps some of the docs on this thread I have not seen yet will help.
Out of the three pairs of speakers I have, the DCM TF-600s are my absolute favorite. They sound fantastic with my Marantz receivers and uber-fabulous with my Sansui receiver. I have yet to hook them up to my Yamaha to see what happens.

 

[hjames]

This is a great thread! I have a pair of DCM TF-600s that I just love! I'd love to grab another nice pair of maybe a nice pair of TF-700s. My 600s have the black caps, but I am thinking about stripping them and staining them if it can be done safely. It's bad enough that one of them needs some repair to the sock on top. I still have not figured out how to safely get into and out of the socks and put everything back together. Perhaps some of the docs on this thread I have not seen yet will help.
Out of the three pairs of speakers I have, the DCM TF-600s are my absolute favorite. They sound fantastic with my Marantz receivers and uber-fabulous with my Sansui receiver. I have yet to hook them up to my Yamaha to see what happens.

Note - the TF400s & TF600s are "second generation" of Time Frames & a bit different than the TF700, TF500, TF350 and other earlier models.
The painted black caps can be stripped, the caps are Oak underneath the paint. I did it to my TF400s and my TF600s - both had painted caps.
I popped the caps off with a chunk of 1x2 and a rubber mallet -
put one end of the wood under each end of the cap and a few gentle taps, then a bit on the other end ...
do a little bit on each end at a time (patience) and they'll slowly ride up ...
I left the socks alone because the speakers were working fine and there was no need to disturb them!

Wipe the caps down thoroughly with MEK - its Nasty stuff, but it pulled most of the thick paint off - OUTDOOR USE ONLY!!
I worked through a few grades of sandpaper, and finally, wiped them down a few times with Watco Danish Oil - Cherry (from Home depot)
... the only bug is the black paint seems to soak into the grain on the ends of the caps & leaves them a bit dark -
but I think it still looks nicer against the black grill cloth than the painted caps do.

If I took more time sanding it, it "might" get the hints of black out of the grain -
but this oak is tough wood and it takes a while to remove much material!
I figured this looked so much better than the black before and I wanted to go back and listen some more!

Anyway, here is a quick picture of the end of one of my TF600
caps after I stripped and restained it. I redid the feet too, but wouldn't bother with than again.

The TF400s came apart the same way -
I'm using them as rear surrounds (with TF500s as side surrounds) in my 7.1 home theater system downstairs.

 

[dewdude]

The end-caps are friction fit in to place. You can take a rubber mallet and hit them from the bottom's and they'll come up. I had to take a small piece of 1x4 since it fit under the edges better and just...tap them up.

The sock is held in place with Super 77 on the top...it'll peel off. Be careful, likely the foam lining has detoriated and will start falling off. The socks then roll off.

I think the bottoms are bolted on. Mine are ported in the back, the port sleeve is also just friction fit.

There *was* a website that showed restoration of the TF-400 II's, however, it seems to be down.

I didn't replace the socks as I didn't care about the few holes in them...wasn't affecting performance at all, but I had to replace the tweeter, so I had the end-caps off and sock rolled down enough to get that. Then just pull the sock back up, spray some Super 77 on the top, pull the sock tight so the super 77 holds it in place...then took a rubber mallet and beat the end-cap back on.

 

[Anubis]

Thanks for the detailed tips on refinishing the end caps and fixing up the sock on my TF-600s. Sounds easy (I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be nervous or confident).:thmbsp: I'm not going to roll down the sock because the speakers are working fine and I don't want to have to deal with a simple project turning into a 4 to 6 month project trying to replace all the foam and everything. I'll just repair the top of the one where the sock is separated from the cap.

 

[Arkay]

Great collection in the OP, and nice thread! :thmbsp: I have a pair of TF700s. Funny, while I've seen a number of Time Windows in the market here, I've never seen another pair of Time Frames. Makes me doubly glad that I bought mine when I got the chance, even if I had to pay at/towards the high end of the US market price for them. I suspect that the TWs were sold/distributed here, but not the TFs. One day I'd like the chance to try the 600s and (especially) the 1000s, just to compare them. While I still prefer the sound of the big Infinities, the TFs beat out most other speakers for a really nice sound! My 700s have the black finish; I didn't realize that they could be stripped that well. Then again, almost all the speakers I have which offered a choice of oak or black, are black. It seems to have been overwhelmingly the color choice here... so maybe I'll leave mine black. While I like natural woodgrain, I don't mind the black. If they looked downright ugly, then I'd strip them.

 

[Blue Shadow]

There are some TF speakers that have caps that are not friction fit. I had a pair of TF-350s that had the tops screwed in from below. The giveaway was the back panel of the speaker was not covered in grille cloth and came off when a handful of screws were removed. The foot was the same way, bolted to the cabinet.

As for the TW being a lesser or earlier model, The TW7, TW3 and TW1a were shown on the same spec sheet as the TF-1000 and TF-700 and these two were listed last. So I don't think the TF series was a higher series than the TW. Maybe Steve can fill us in on this when some AKers get a chance to talk to him.

 

[hjames]

Did a 400 mile round trip yesterday to visit inlaws, so after I mowed the law and did some yardwork today,
I kicked back and have been listening to a lot of music through the Jolida tube amp and the TF700s ...

Been reading a book called "Nileism" a history of a Glasgow scotland band called "The Blue Nile" -
so I played some songs from their first 2 albums - lots of Linn drum percussion and very atmospheric moody works.
Plus I discovered another band of Glaswegians - Deacon Blue - and listened to their whole first album from 1987 -
Raintown - it just sounds amazing on the TimeFrames ...

We recently bought summer concert tickets to see "The Dukes of September" Aug 6th ...
the band is kind of a supergroup with Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald Boz Scaggs, and others -
they last toured in 2010 apparently, but the youtube videos from that tour looked like lots of fun!
Anyway, being in the mood - I played "The New York Rock and Soul Review - Live at the Beacon Theater" -
a 1991 album I got recently with Fagen, Scaggs & McDonald, Phoebe Snow and a bunch of others -
VERY cool stuff & sounded GREAT!

The more music I hear on these DCMs, the more I am enjoying them!

 

[hjames]

Just made payment on a pair of clean TF1000s that will be shipped to me next week.
I'm expecting to put them down in the TV room as "mains" for the home theater system.
More info when I get them!!

I also won an auction for a pair of TimePiece speakers - I'll try and use one as a center.
Looks like it would match the Time Frames in tone, except for the bass, of course.

Comments or ideas on that?

Hopefully I have both pair before the Memorial Day weekend!

I did find the spec Sheet and pix for the TimePiece speakers,
and put that in an empty post earlier in the thread ...

 

[dewdude]

Where do you keep finding these speakers?