Tuesday, December 28, 2010

DCM Timewindows.

Update: It took a couple of hours to get the top and bottom caps off (an hour and a quarter for the first one, 45 minutes for the next 3). I've sanded the top caps and will paint the edges of all 4 black in the morning. Today I made 2 'socks', each 38 inches tall (the speakers are 36 inches), with a 30 inch circumfrence (the cabinets are 35.5 inches around) out of black grill cloth (that's 76 inches of hand stitching...I'm the Martha Stwart of vintage audio). I'll have them all together, and post pictures tomorrow.
Here are the before pictures:



I got these just before the holidays, and have been enjoying them. In the late seventies, these made the high end audio community pay attention, with their effortless musicality and imaging. At $800 a pair they became very popular, and broke out of the audiophile world to become a known icon in the audio mainstream. I think their cool name had a lot to do with it. They really are windows into the music.

The front baffles are particle board, and the curved rear sections are sections of Sonotube, the heavy cardboard forms used in concrete building construction. Each cabinet contains 2 Philips dome tweeters and 2 Philips 6 1/2 inch woofers in a transmission line configuration.

The specs are as follows:
Dimensions:36"H x 14 3/4"W x 11 3/4"D
Weight:32 Pounds
Power Requirements:10 Watts Minimum per channel 89 dB/watt at one meter; 200 Watts Maximum
Impedance:5 Ohms minimum/6-8 Ohms nominal
Frequency Range:25Hz to 18 kHz
Dispersion:180 degrees horizontal/60 degrees vertical.

Originally, they were completely surrounded in black open cell foam, which of course has disintegrated. I am going to try to make new 'socks' for them from black grill cloth.

3 comments:

  1. LLoyd, also have an old pair of Time Windows that I'm fixing up. I'm not sure if it's too late for you but foam close to original can be sourced from Foam Express in Michigan- link her- http://www.foamandupholstery.com/out_door_foam.htm.
    Scroll to the bottom of the page,
    Mike

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  2. I have a pair of Time Windows I bought in 1978. I have a bad speaker and would like to do a rebuild or have them rebuilt. Any suggestions on where to get parts or someone to rebuild them. I would really like to get them up and running. The greatest sound I ever heard.

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  3. I worked at DCM 1978-1981, made it to asst Shipping. I own the big Time Window's III. Wish I still had the smaller ones. Used get stoned at break time worked on acid from the night before. Best job I ever had.

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