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DCM Time Frame comparison

dewdude said:
Where do you keep finding these speakers?
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Shhhhh - can't tell you, its a sicrit ... :banana:

JK -
the TF600s were on CL March 16th - very clean, a little high priced (grin)
the TF500s listed on AK Mar 28 - Local sale (Ohighway) & a very good deal!
the TF400s were on CL April 19 - pretty clean & for a fair price
the TF700s were on CL May 3rd - nice price so I rushed by after work!

I found the TF1000s via Audiogon - 'course I have to pay $$ to pack and have them shipped.

I'm still looking for TF2000s - but I don't expect to find any.


Now - I see some folks talking about paying really really low prices in the DCM threads here -
they are in other cities, other markets, but in the DC market, folks are somewhat more knowledgeable -
so I don't expect to find a pair of $80 TF600s 'round these parts.
But if they are clean and play well; if I like the way they sound and are a good deal - why not buy?

When all is settled, and I decide which ones I like the best,
I may cull the herd and sell the lesser ones, but they are small & easy to store,
and they are certainly cheaper to collect than JBLs !!
 
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starquest52 said:
Some people have all the luck :scratch2:
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Some luck and a lot of "work."

I go garage sailing every week and have done so for more than thirty years. Except for a few major appliances and a few pieces of furniture and stereo gear, nearly everything I own came from a sale or a thrift.

Including the house, come to think of it.
 
SimplySound said:
Yeah, I think you have the quest thang down! ;)
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About that Quest thing ... "Finding" and "Getting" isn't a problem - but the "selling and moving on" seems to be the hard part!
Still got that Dahlquist DQ-10 system on a "need to go" basis ...
biggrin.gif
 
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hjames said:
I'm also looking into getting something to function as center channel with that home theater system.
A pair of TimePiece speakers might be nice, or maybe the newer CX-17?
Looks like either would match the Time Frames in tone, except for the bass, of course.
Not sure if I'd bridge a pair of them or just put 1 in the center.

Comments or ideas on that?
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As noted in the other thread, I'd recommend trying the CX-17. If you have it anywhere near a wall for reinforcement, the bass output will surprise you (significantly stronger and deeper bass than my TF-250s). I've read that TimePieces are not so strong on the bass but haven't heard them myself.

It probably would be best to use only one of these speakers as a center channel. The coax driver gives you a single point source for dialogue and vocals, but two speakers will dilute this advantage. FWIW, I use three CX-17s as front L, R, and center channels and have no complaints about the volume or sound quality in a 15x25 foot media room.
 
Yep - kinda figured whatever I buy, even tho they would probably come in pairs, I would only use one of them.
Still don't know what the final config of the room will be - I have a pair of TF1000s coming next week, as well as a pair of TimePieces ...
if they don't get destroyed in shipping - will the TF1000s become the mains, or perhaps the TF700s? or will I keep the TF600s as mains?

I expect it will be lots of fun and take some time playing music to figure that all out.

I'm now selling the TF500s via CL - they are not bad by ANY sense of the imagination ...
its just that I have a number of pairs that sound very similar -
and the TF400s & TF600s have the black grill cloth that I prefer,
and they are just a wee bit newer ...
 
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hjames said:
Yep - kinda figured whatever I buy, even tho they would probably come in pairs, I would only use one of them.
Still don't know what the final config of the room will be - I have a pair of TF1000s coming next week,
and if they don't get destroyed in shipping - will they become the mains, or perhaps the TF700s? or will I keep the TF600s as mains?

I expect it will be lots of fun and take some time playing music to figure that all out.
The least pair will probably go into storage (TF400?)
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I'll be very interested to hear how the 700s and 1000s compare to each other and to the 600s (which I have). I've been wondering whether it would be worth the expense and effort to try to "upgrade" at some point. Since the 600s have a very different driver and crossover configuration, I assume it's possible they might be preferable to the bigger models at least for some applications. Good luck!
 
Brief listing of DCM Timeframe speakers specs 400/500/600/700/1000

I had a little downtime so I created a brief comparison list based on the Spec sheets we've gathered so far here ... I based "port" location on the charts provided with each spec sheet.

If you see any obvious errors, let me know and I'll clean them up pronto.
I shuffled the logical order to put the newer design TF400 & TF600 close.

==========================================================

DCM TF500 - older series
6.5 woofer &
0.75 Coaxial tweeter
front port (There are no rear drivers)

34Hz - 20kHz
90db/1watt/1 meter

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DCM TF400 - newer series
6.5 woofer (butyl surround)
6.5 Mid-bass driver (butyl surround)
0.75 Coaxial tweeter
rear port

40Hz - 20kHz
92db/1watt/1 meter

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DCM TF600 - newer series
6.5 woofer (butyl surround)
6.5 Mid-bass driver (butyl surround)
0.75 Coaxial tweeter
2 rear facing tweeters (3 tweeters total)
rear port


30Hz - 20kHz
92db/1watt/1 meter

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DCM TF700 - older series
8" Woofer
4" Midrange
.75" Tweeter
front port (There are no rear drivers)


30Hz - 20kHz
90db/1watt/1 meter

==========================================================

DCM TF1000 - older series
8" Woofer
4" Midrange
.75" Tweeter
front port (There are no rear drivers)

26Hz - 20KHz
91db/1watt/1 meter


==========================================================
 
My care package arrived today ... a pair of DCM TF1000s. Now, even tho the seller did an astonishing job of packing them, with thick white polystyrene foam all around, apparent FredEx jarred the packages at some point and the shock snapped the crossover off the back of the connector plate on the right speaker. All I knew at first was the right speaker was dead - but once I took the back plate off and found the spade lugs were off - I reconnected it electrically and it seems to test fine.
I'll have more fun over the weekend - but here is an image to give you the scale ...
My JBL L200 custom speakers, the TF1000, and a TF500 in the middle.

Also, looking at the spec sheet - with no badges to help, seems I have them backwards for proper imaging ...


DCM_TF1000_6203.jpg DCM-TF1000_6205.jpg
 
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Congrats on getting those TF-1000s! That's too bad about the shipping damage, but glad it was any easy fix.

You are now in the unique and enviable position to compare almost all of the larger TimeFrame models. As a TF-600 owner, I'd be particularly interested in hearing how you think they compare to the 400s, 500s, 700s, and 1000s. When I compare my TF-600s to the much smaller TF-250s, there is no doubt the larger speaker does almost everything better. However, on acoustic music, I believe the humble 250s actually have an edge in midrange timbre and a certain "presence" to them (difficult to describe) that the TF-600s can't quite match.

Since the TF-700s and 1000s are basically much larger TF-250s/350s with midrange drivers added, I'm thinking they might be noticeably better than the TF-600s in terms of sound quality, realism, and/or imaging. Having heard them all in the same space, what do you think? Should TF-600 owners aspire to the 700/1000s, or are we already getting most of what this line has to offer?
 
Frankly, I haven't had a lot of listen time with the TF1000s since they arrived. I did the JBweld patch on the bad rear panel and let it sit a day before I closed it up after work yesterday. I lacked time to do a good AB last night (took a dear friend out for dinner) - and I only played them maybe 30 mins or so before we headed out.
They are currently on the upstairs 2 ch music only system with the 40w/ch Jolida tube amp.
I played Zep (Gallows Pole) , some Miles (part of the In A Silent Way session), James Taylor (Millworker), Joni (Amelia & Hejira) and a bit of Yo Yo Ma ... all sound great -
but no time to compare ... even to the TF500s upstairs with them.
All the others (TF400/TF600/TF700) are downstairs on the home theater system - tho I am planning to bring at least one of each up for a group shot this weekend.

If it gets hot and muggy, maybe I'll have some playtime over the weekend.
 
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I have a pair of the TF 700's and loved them since I bought them from my next door neighbor in 1990. I've have only seen the TF 1000's for sale once in all these years, and it was just a few months ago. The seller wasn't willing to ship, and now I am kicking myself not not taking the time for a road trip to get them. Who knows when another pair will pop up. I looking forward to your comparison of the 700's vs. the 1000's.

Thanks for the great info everyone.
 
The HDCD decoded version of Hejira on my TF400 through my tubes blew me away. I mean, it was just outstanding. Joni's vocals were right there, that fretless bass, clear and rich. But my ex was the one who got my in to Joni....Hejira was one of the CDs we listened to on our first "date"; so I can't demo that album anymore....too depressing.

The only thing I've got that *might* beat my DCMs are my vintage JBL "030"s. But, they're entirely different beasts. The DCMs are transmission line monoliths that somehow put out full rich sound with outstanding imaging. The JBLs are just...100lb boxes with a 15" and tweeter...beautiful brute-force.
 
Right - I have my modified L200s on that upstairs system too ... 2234 (15") woofers, 2441 mids on walnut smith horns, 2405 slot tweeters with a 4333 equivalent crossover ... very nice, nicely efficient - I kind of evolved them over a couple of year period, but I have too much money in the dumb things now and should at least go back to the original LE85 horn/driver combo and sell them off ...
The DCMs play very nice and are reasonably priced too ...
 
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'Sorry to hear about the shipping damage on the 1000's. I hope your repair turns out at least satisfactory and you love the sound of those big boys!

I echo what Cygnus said. I have the 600's and would very much like to know your opinion of that model vs the 700's and 1000's, if you ever get the chance.

Thanks for providing all the helpful info.
 
Next Addition to the system ... got a pair of DCM TimePiece speakers today ...
just have them in a temporary hookup in front of the cabinet - only one i connectd, the other is like a "stand" for it, but its already better than the JBL it will replace ... I was able match the center level better with the 2 DCM TF700s I have in the front right now ...

I'll listen to them expose like this first - then set them back between the Adcom gear on the
"Altar of Audiophilia" once I know they're working as a great center solution.

TimePiece_6216.jpg
 
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Congrats on finding the Time Pieces.
I think I might still have a spec sheet on them saved on a drive somewhere if you are interested.
 
Wolverine said:
Congrats on finding the Time Pieces.
I think I might still have a spec sheet on them saved on a drive somewhere if you are interested.
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Thanks for the kind offer, but its already here, posted in #7 of this thread!
I've done some back filling as folks send me things & I find things elsewhere.
Got spec sheets for nearly all the TimeFrames (TF400 and up)
 
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