Those cheap Vifas sound pretty nice. They are open and airy but laid back and easy to listen to, and it doesn't surprise me that they recommend them. They have that 70's sort of sound, in a good way.
I wouldn't worry too much about the price. It's not always much of an indicator. Yes, you could use a fancier tweeter and get more detail, but it may not integrate as well, be less forgiving, and you'd likely have to redesign the crossover. If DCM says that's a drop in, I'm inclined to believe them, especially since this was verified by another poster earlier in the thread. I've heard plenty of tweeters ranging from $4 to $350 ea BTW.
There are more expensive versions of that vifa tweeter such as the scanspeak 8512(?) and arguably the hiquphons, but neither are as appropriate because the impedance curves aren't as smooth. There are a couple seas models I'd look at first.
The vifa is unique for a 3/4 by being so chock full of ferrofluid that the Z curve is very flat, which means it should be able to take a minimal crossover.
I wouldn't worry too much about the price. It's not always much of an indicator. Yes, you could use a fancier tweeter and get more detail, but it may not integrate as well, be less forgiving, and you'd likely have to redesign the crossover. If DCM says that's a drop in, I'm inclined to believe them, especially since this was verified by another poster earlier in the thread. I've heard plenty of tweeters ranging from $4 to $350 ea BTW.
There are more expensive versions of that vifa tweeter such as the scanspeak 8512(?) and arguably the hiquphons, but neither are as appropriate because the impedance curves aren't as smooth. There are a couple seas models I'd look at first.
The vifa is unique for a 3/4 by being so chock full of ferrofluid that the Z curve is very flat, which means it should be able to take a minimal crossover.
Usually they'res a colored dot near one of the terminals indicating it's the positive terminal. Sometimes the terminals are a different size the smaller being negative.
What is the size of the cutout hole??
If the tweeter does cross at 2khz they'res a few low cost tweeters you can use that might be better than that Vifa.
What is the size of the cutout hole??
If the tweeter does cross at 2khz they'res a few low cost tweeters you can use that might be better than that Vifa.
There wasn't as much around in those days. Reasonable people would differ. IIRC, The time windows tended to like tube amps.
I got the tours of both the design lab and the DCM factory CIRCA 1979. Steve was really sold on the tweeters, and really liked the JBL woffers. At the time, all I could think of was the L100. Now I get it.
looks like at some stage the time window bass mods were changed the one in your pics use a philips 7 or 8 in bass mid driver unlike the ones I worked on fore my friend and as if somene else here has mentioned the tweets x/ over at 2 k then definitely the vifa 3/4 in units are out as they struggle to be xed/over at 3k, IMHO you would be better off grabbing the philips 1 in units from PE which would match the x/over point much better and their electrical response is closer to the original, in any event these philips drivers from that era were pretty basic and nothing to rave about inc the bass mids, [ which were pretty ragged in their respone , with a massive break up peak at arond 2.5/3k]] if you think I am biased against philips drivers, you are right!, I make no secret of that fact, having had quite a lot of experiance with them back in the 70's when that is all we could get here in OZ; pretty basic drivers, nothing special nor nothing to commend them IMO
First of all, a very big "Thank You" to everyone who's offering help and advice on this, my first speaker project.
So, to answer a few of your questions. On the back of the tweeters, it says (I think, the ink's a bit smeared)
2422 257 33102
02
AO 0160 T8
612 DD
There does appear to be a circle nearer to one of the terminals, so that must be the positive one.
The routed-out cutout is 3 3/4" across and 3/8" deep. The hole itself is 3" across.
Any tweeter replacement and mounting advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dan
So, to answer a few of your questions. On the back of the tweeters, it says (I think, the ink's a bit smeared)
2422 257 33102
02
AO 0160 T8
612 DD
There does appear to be a circle nearer to one of the terminals, so that must be the positive one.
The routed-out cutout is 3 3/4" across and 3/8" deep. The hole itself is 3" across.
Any tweeter replacement and mounting advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dan
If I was to replace those tweeters I would try these from PE;
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=270-042
The only thing you might need to do is to dremel or chisel 1/8" more of a mounting recess area or not. These just might drop in.
The thing I like about these tweets is the frequency response. They go really low - 1.1 K and have a rising curve from 10k to 20k.
But, since the box these are in have 30 degree angle baffles the 10k to 20k range are flat.
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=270-042
The only thing you might need to do is to dremel or chisel 1/8" more of a mounting recess area or not. These just might drop in.
The thing I like about these tweets is the frequency response. They go really low - 1.1 K and have a rising curve from 10k to 20k.
But, since the box these are in have 30 degree angle baffles the 10k to 20k range are flat.
danclarkwcp said:
That must be AD0160/T8 the first number is the socalled 12nc of Philips, a 12 digit code number. All Philips parts have such a number.
So it appears that AD0160/T8 have been used in the early series, later on this became AD0140/T8.
Some people may stiil have some as they have been used in a lot of loudspeaker models in that time.
http://cgi.benl.ebay.be/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3276&item=5747676918&rd=1
This auction for a pair of AD 160/T8 ends in 7 hours from moment of posting. Price is USD 17.50 at this moment, for both.
Steven
Well,
DCM will probably not suggest a tweeter to you that is obsolete.
These Philips tweeters were originally designed in and the crossovers adapted to these tweeters, I guess. Also the Philips are allowed to cross at 2kHz (2nd order).
It's your choice. I just googled and saw these on ebay. I have AD0140 in my Time Windows and I'm happy with them.
Steven
DCM will probably not suggest a tweeter to you that is obsolete.
These Philips tweeters were originally designed in and the crossovers adapted to these tweeters, I guess. Also the Philips are allowed to cross at 2kHz (2nd order).
It's your choice. I just googled and saw these on ebay. I have AD0140 in my Time Windows and I'm happy with them.
Steven
yes keep in mind that the electrical response of the x/over was tailored to the philips tweets so if you stick something else in there it could be all over the place..... 
personally as you dont seem sure about what you are doing stick with the philips from parts express at least they are a newer version of the originals [and as a bonus they are soft dome version of the originals so should sound sweeter/ smoother than the originals]...[ also while you are contemplating all this replace the caps in the tweeter leg of the x/overs this being the culprit to their demise in the 1st place IMO have fun they are buried deep in the enclosure with copious amounts of wadding to get out of the way 1st] as nobody else has touched on this and also they will match the electrical response of the x/over better ; think about it you don't seem to be too sure of yourself and in answer to an earlier question you asked YES you can use screws to mount the replacements instead of the goo used on the original which is a pain in the posterior to remove [ use turps or white spirits and scrape away clean up- the area with a rag dipped in the stuff wrapped around a screw driver tip to get in the awkward spaces] IMHO knowing the dcms as I do I would scrap them as they were nothing special even in their day just a kooky marketing exercise that some yank companies practice even now no real solid engeneeireing in them at all to recommend them just some run off the mill drivers in a an unusal configuration to distinguish them from others their sound is an acquired taste again nothing special with those very basic drivers....
cheers TC
personally as you dont seem sure about what you are doing stick with the philips from parts express at least they are a newer version of the originals [and as a bonus they are soft dome version of the originals so should sound sweeter/ smoother than the originals]...[ also while you are contemplating all this replace the caps in the tweeter leg of the x/overs this being the culprit to their demise in the 1st place IMO have fun they are buried deep in the enclosure with copious amounts of wadding to get out of the way 1st] as nobody else has touched on this and also they will match the electrical response of the x/over better ; think about it you don't seem to be too sure of yourself and in answer to an earlier question you asked YES you can use screws to mount the replacements instead of the goo used on the original which is a pain in the posterior to remove [ use turps or white spirits and scrape away clean up- the area with a rag dipped in the stuff wrapped around a screw driver tip to get in the awkward spaces] IMHO knowing the dcms as I do I would scrap them as they were nothing special even in their day just a kooky marketing exercise that some yank companies practice even now no real solid engeneeireing in them at all to recommend them just some run off the mill drivers in a an unusal configuration to distinguish them from others their sound is an acquired taste again nothing special with those very basic drivers.... cheers TC 
sorry I just cant seem to let go of this thread there are so many issues raised in this thread in regards to the ' time windows' reading some of the other posts ie; the recommended vifa replacement of the tweeters; this raise a question do dcm really know what they are talking about? the vifas fs is 17000 hz which even a noob KNOWS; the accepted convention is to keep the fs of the tweeter at least one octave below the x/over point! meaning at least 1k as we all know in regards to which the philips units at parts express which are an updated version of the originals in the dcms now sport a soft dome fit the bill much better the fs being almost exactly 1k] the vifas is too close to the 2k x/over , leaving only 300 hz lee way the result? a deep null at the xover reminiscent to an out of phase driver poorly intergrated with the x/ over but of course if you cant see it and dont know about it cant hurt you can it? most likely if like me you are cloth eared you wont even hear it like someone else reported in his post earlier on after replacing the original tweets with the vifas and then waxing lyrical at how much improved [ smoother and detailed they are with the vifa upgrade; yes of course smoother, it has to be; how can anything sound like anything else if there is nothing there to hear?
cheers to all and sundry inc, the moderators who may take a very jaded view of some of my posts..... calling a spade a spade 
Hi.
I have had a few pairs of timewindows, including 1's and 1a's.
The timewindows used the philips woofers and tweeters, whereas the 1a's used philips woofers and vifa tweeters. I have a stripped pair of 1's I kept for parts. I have the crossovers which I could photograph if you need and details. (let me know via email)
The 1a's are a lovely speaker, although I noticed a slight difference in level between one of my matching speakers. It was only on close inspection when I ran an impedance plot, I discovered DCM had serviced/replaced in the factory, one of the 8ohm woofers with a 4ohm (they have the orange chalk marks that DCM used in the factory on them). So, perhaps at some stage in the product life, they changed woofers from 8 to 4 ohm models. The philips type numbers confirm this, but the drivers have never been out of the cabinet after they left the factory.
John
I have had a few pairs of timewindows, including 1's and 1a's.
The timewindows used the philips woofers and tweeters, whereas the 1a's used philips woofers and vifa tweeters. I have a stripped pair of 1's I kept for parts. I have the crossovers which I could photograph if you need and details. (let me know via email)
The 1a's are a lovely speaker, although I noticed a slight difference in level between one of my matching speakers. It was only on close inspection when I ran an impedance plot, I discovered DCM had serviced/replaced in the factory, one of the 8ohm woofers with a 4ohm (they have the orange chalk marks that DCM used in the factory on them). So, perhaps at some stage in the product life, they changed woofers from 8 to 4 ohm models. The philips type numbers confirm this, but the drivers have never been out of the cabinet after they left the factory.
John
Well that's interesting, the pair l worked on for a friend had some US sourced round basket paper cone woofers, come to think of it there was some orange chalk marks on the cones, l seem to recall, replaced the torn rubber surrounds from my stock which l was fortunate to have, very similar to the originals luckily, l still have some though l did not dig too deep into the enclosures as l treat a lot of yank speakers with disdain and the contempt they deserve unless they are a serious mfctr ie;altec vot or some of the classic jbl's or ev's the rest l would consign to a dumpster.... ps please post a pic of the x/overs if you can as my friend who owned them tried to upgrade the caps and dug around inside the enclosure removing tons of some sort of wadding in the process and eventually leaving it out for better sound quality'cause with it in they kinda sounded muffled cheers TCI just picked up a set of Time Windows at a sale for $20 (serial numbers 41918 and 41919). I had never heard of them before, but the price seemed right. In reading about them on this thread and elsewhere, I am curious about two things.
First, how does one know the version (1, 1a, etc). I have no idea the age or series of the Time Windows I bought and would like to be able to place them in their historical context.
Second, in listening close to the woofers at low volume, i hear a slight flutter or buzz on bass frequencies. I have looked over the speakers carefully and do not see any tears or defects in the cones (paper) or the surrounds (rubber). In fact, both look very clean. I am wondering if this is just something these speakers did. Can i replace the woofers with something newer/better and avoid this flutter/buzz.
FWIW, my woofers also have the orange chalk markings described by an earlier poster.
First, how does one know the version (1, 1a, etc). I have no idea the age or series of the Time Windows I bought and would like to be able to place them in their historical context.
Second, in listening close to the woofers at low volume, i hear a slight flutter or buzz on bass frequencies. I have looked over the speakers carefully and do not see any tears or defects in the cones (paper) or the surrounds (rubber). In fact, both look very clean. I am wondering if this is just something these speakers did. Can i replace the woofers with something newer/better and avoid this flutter/buzz.
FWIW, my woofers also have the orange chalk markings described by an earlier poster.
know nothing
Hi!
First of all, sorry for my english, I´m from Argentina ...
I bought (really, when I heard them at J&R, the speakers bought me (o: ) a pair of Time Window speakers about 1980 in New York, and carried them to Argentina. After a lot or years and a lot of happiness, something was broken and an independent technician in Argentina tried to repair the speakers. They worked for some time, and problems again ..... Now I´m living in Spain, and of course the speakers are with me (travelling speakers, yes), but they are not working, and I want to repair and leave them with their original great sound as possible.
I don´t know what the technician in Argentina did with the speakers. I know the tweeters are Philips AD 0140 T8 and seems to works fine.The woofers have no information at all in the back, so I don´t know if they are original parts or they aren´t. I don´t know if the crossovers are original or not, but I have a couple of photographs, If I can, I´ll put them with this message; if not, I can send them anywhere.
Ok, that´s the story .... now, let´s go with the questions ....
First of all ... how can I know if they are TW1 or TW1a? The serial numbers are 26102 and 26103
I would like to know which woffers can I use in case the ones that are in the speakers are not Ok.
Also, I need all the possible information about the crossovers, same as woofers.
If my english is so bad you don´t understand something, let me know, please ...
Waiting for some response, thanks a lot!!!!!
Enjoy your DCM´s, as I hope to enjoy mines soon (o:
Hi!
First of all, sorry for my english, I´m from Argentina ...
I bought (really, when I heard them at J&R, the speakers bought me (o: ) a pair of Time Window speakers about 1980 in New York, and carried them to Argentina. After a lot or years and a lot of happiness, something was broken and an independent technician in Argentina tried to repair the speakers. They worked for some time, and problems again ..... Now I´m living in Spain, and of course the speakers are with me (travelling speakers, yes), but they are not working, and I want to repair and leave them with their original great sound as possible.
I don´t know what the technician in Argentina did with the speakers. I know the tweeters are Philips AD 0140 T8 and seems to works fine.The woofers have no information at all in the back, so I don´t know if they are original parts or they aren´t. I don´t know if the crossovers are original or not, but I have a couple of photographs, If I can, I´ll put them with this message; if not, I can send them anywhere.
Ok, that´s the story .... now, let´s go with the questions ....
First of all ... how can I know if they are TW1 or TW1a? The serial numbers are 26102 and 26103
I would like to know which woffers can I use in case the ones that are in the speakers are not Ok.
Also, I need all the possible information about the crossovers, same as woofers.
If my english is so bad you don´t understand something, let me know, please ...
Waiting for some response, thanks a lot!!!!!
Enjoy your DCM´s, as I hope to enjoy mines soon (o:
Time Window 8-in driver repair/replace
hi Steven
You have a lot of technical info for the Time Window.
I need to repair or replace the 8-inch Philips drivers. The rubber seal around the edge was cracked in 1 place. Also the glue between the cone's edge and the rubber seal dried out and detahced.
What are some good replacements?
Thanks
hi Steven
You have a lot of technical info for the Time Window.
I need to repair or replace the 8-inch Philips drivers. The rubber seal around the edge was cracked in 1 place. Also the glue between the cone's edge and the rubber seal dried out and detahced.
What are some good replacements?
Thanks
Over the weekend I was in Athens, GA and while perusing one of the many Antique/Salvage/Junk stores thereof, I was indoctrinated into the the Time Window cult for the reasonable price of $100. They are fully functioning and appear to be completely original. The speaker cover "socks" are in pretty damn good shape considering the their age.
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From what I have gathered that is the original factory configuration for the 1A.
"The pic is the time window 1 with the round philips tweeter. The 1a has a square tweeter screen over the tweeter that can be felt through the grille. The 1a also has fabric covered 'eyelids' over the top of the woofer and only one port at the bottom. The 1 has two ports, one on each front face. The 1a has oak end pieces with a nut in the center of the bottom piece, the 1 has walnut? with glued on ends."
~Blue Shadow~
This is the "1" to which he is referring. He mentions that the 1 has "round tweeters" and so do the 1A's. They just look odd because DCM used some of the same fabric that they use for the "eyelid" on the woofer to, I assume, dampen the tweeters plastic surrounding:
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DCM Timewindows-pictures and info please - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums
"The pic is the time window 1 with the round philips tweeter. The 1a has a square tweeter screen over the tweeter that can be felt through the grille. The 1a also has fabric covered 'eyelids' over the top of the woofer and only one port at the bottom. The 1 has two ports, one on each front face. The 1a has oak end pieces with a nut in the center of the bottom piece, the 1 has walnut? with glued on ends."
~Blue Shadow~
This is the "1" to which he is referring. He mentions that the 1 has "round tweeters" and so do the 1A's. They just look odd because DCM used some of the same fabric that they use for the "eyelid" on the woofer to, I assume, dampen the tweeters plastic surrounding:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
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DCM Timewindows-pictures and info please - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums
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