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Help me find matching center channel for vintage DCM speakers

post #1 of 12
7/11/12 at 8:37am
Thread Starter 
I was recently given a nice pair of DCM TimeFrame 600's by a friend. They replaced some crummy but cheap Sony floorspeakers I was using.

I am using them with a Pioneer VSX-1121K. I've gone through the Advanced MCACC process with them and am finding that while they sound great, my center channel is hopelessly outnumbered and really lacking now. My current center is another cheap-o Sony SS-CN5000.

450

As you can see these "new" DCM's totally dwarf my center channel.

Here are the specifications on the TF600's

Sensitivity:
92 db/1 watt/meter
Recommended Amplifier Power:
10 watts to 250 watts
Maximum Power handling:
250 watts RMS peak program
Impedance:
6 ohms nominal
Frequency Range:
30 Hz to 20 kHz
Enclosure Type:
Transmission line
Rear - firing Port
Driver complement:
Two- 6.5 inch shielded magnet woofers
Three- .75 inch tweeter, ferro - fluid cooled
Front tweeter mounled co-ax with acoustic lens

My Living Room has hardwood floors but a big carpet covering most of it, couch, heavy curtians, but fairly open. It's not an enormous open space, but it is a somewhat open floor-plan.

I'm not sure what type of center would be a good match for these speakers, I'm just lost.

Thank you for any input!
Edited by mephiska - 7/11/12 at 10:02am
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post #2 of 12
7/13/12 at 8:42am
Thread Starter 
I guess there's not much love for vintage speakers.

I went ahead and ordered this Polk CS2 on sale for $109. This model seems to be pretty well respected on these forums, so I'll give it a try. It arrives today so I'll post if I notice an improvement.

I gotta say I really like these old DCMs. They're very well balanced without any MCACC calibration on my Pioneer, and even better once calibrated. For music though I'm really digging the "Pure Direct" mode.


Before:
596


After:
585
Edited by mephiska - 7/13/12 at 9:09am
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post #3 of 12
7/13/12 at 9:13am
Keep in mind that 80% of the sound should come from the MAIN speakers; that's why they are called the MAIN speakers.

Lots of people (including me) get great results with a 2.1 system.

Have you tried just using 2.1 or 2.0 and not using a center speaker?

Why do you think you NEED a center speaker? Your main speakers ARE quite a distance apart, so maybe you do need one.

The sound quality of that Sony center speaker IS about 10 notches below the DCM speakers; the problem would seem to be poor sound QUALITY, rather than lack of enough sound; kind of like putting discount-store tires on a Ferrari...lol. The Polk CS2 is also not going to match up worth a damn; more cheap junk; send it back.

In any case, the function of a center speaker is midrange centerfill, and it should NOT be expected to produce any bass or anything much above 3 Khz. The primary concern is strong clean output from 100 Hz to 3 Khz. A center speaker is working perfectly when it contributes to the sound without being "heard'. It should essentially be "invisible". It should never be assertive.

The Mordaunt-Short Carnival 5 is what I would recommend, and it is available for around $250.
Edited by commsysman - 7/13/12 at 9:25am
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post #4 of 12
7/13/12 at 9:27am
Thread Starter 
I have a 7.1 setup. This is primarily used by my HTPC for movies (blu-ray), TV and gaming. I was under the impression that for most TV and Movie content the majority of sound came from the center channel (dialogue mostly). That's been what I'd noticed for the most part in my daily use. I've had the center unplugged before and dialog was super super quiet.

The center is sticking out like a sore thumb right now because of how muddy it sounds compared to the "new" mains. Previously I hadn't really noticed because the old mains were from the same Sony line and so everything in the front was that way.

I'll look at the Mordaunt, thanks for the recommendation.
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post #5 of 12
7/13/12 at 9:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mephiska View Post

The center is sticking out like a sore thumb right now because of how muddy it sounds compared to the "new" mains. Previously I hadn't really noticed because the old mains were from the same Sony line and so everything in the front was that way.

I would keep an eye out on Ebay - for something like the DCM CX-17 speakers, you can turn it sideways
and use the CX-17 as a center channel. This will work better and be a closer match.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DCM-Monitor-Series-CX-17-Bookshelf-Speakers-US-Made-Good-Cond-Reprint-MANUAL-/160838401198?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2572b73cae
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post #6 of 12
7/13/12 at 9:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by zieglj01 View Post

This will work better and be a closer match.

I've read this before - to try and "match" speakers, and I've done some searching through these forums but I still don't quite get what aspects I'm trying to match. Is there some specification I should try and match up between speakers, or is it more of a "sound signature" that I'm trying to match, which is a much more qualitative and difficult to measure metric.

I'm sure this is why most people tend to buy all speakers from the same manufacturer and even similar product lines - let the Mfg do that "matching" for them.

Thanks for the bookshelf DCM idea though. I'll keep an eye out.
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post #7 of 12
7/13/12 at 10:09am
Post your question here,
http://www.avsforum.com/t/652191/whatever-happened-to-dcms-steve-eberbach
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post #8 of 12
7/13/12 at 11:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mephiska View Post

I've read this before - to try and "match" speakers, and I've done some searching through these forums but I still don't quite get what aspects I'm trying to match. Is there some specification I should try and match up between speakers, or is it more of a "sound signature" that I'm trying to match, which is a much more qualitative and difficult to measure metric.

Take a look at post #3 from Bluray Forum
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=163340
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post #9 of 12
7/13/12 at 12:39pm
I heard those DCMs when a retailer down here carried them and liked them a lot - to my ears they had clean, deep, punchy bass and slightly bright but not irritating highs (to me very similar to Definitive Technology's bipolars). So I'm not surprised that the Sony - which is part of a model series I consider to have a warm-ish sound - doesn't match up with them very well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mephiska View Post

I've had the center unplugged before and dialog was super super quiet.
Was the receiver's speaker management system set to "no center"? If it wasn't, that means the receiver wasn't redirecting the center information to the front left & right channels.
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post #10 of 12
7/20/12 at 7:03am
The DCM SurroundScape Center is the perfect match for the TF600. It uses the same drivers in the same coax design and the time delay network. The CX-17 uses the same drivers in the same coax design but less the time delay network. The CX Center as a third choice uses the same tweeter but different midrange drivers (MTM –not coax design) and no time delay network.

As Chi Gai suggested, http://www.avsforum.com/t/652191/whatever-happened-to-dcms-steve-eberbach is the thread you should look at. There is quite a bit discussion on center speakers for the older DCM speakers.ReplyQuote Multi 0
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post #11 of 12
7/20/12 at 8:48am
Jamie is correct. However, I have an Atlantic Technology 453c center which really surprised me how close in sound it is.
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post #12 of 12
2/6/13 at 12:48pm
I don't know why I said I had TF600's, I actually have TF400's. Does that make a difference for a center channel choice? Any opinions on a subwoofer. My budget is about $300.00 for each. Thanks for your input.
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