DCM TP160S Bookshelf Speaker Deals

zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
The base price of the TP-260 is 599.99 while the TFE100 is 425.99. PricedRight sales also has the TFE's for $10 less than the TPs.
DCM TFE100 -- sold each -- beginning list price $399.95

DCM TP260 -- sold each -- beginning list price $349.95
 
A

alwaysflatulent

Audioholic Intern
Well. you can always talk yourself into not spending money!

It is not about sound per dollar with PricedRight-Sales, it is a business decision ... Mitek and other places of business would not sell them lower than the TP series. The DCM line has been discontinued.
Make sense. :)
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
They'll be here next week.
I'm listening to my TP160S' right now and am once again impressed. I can only imagine the 260s are just as good with better bass extension. I think they'll put a smile on your face. You did much, much better than some of the new enthusiasts we get on here who didn't know what they were buying. These speakers got very popular very fast because of the value they represent. I think you deserve a pat on the back! Lol
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
They'll be here next week.
You made a good choice -- and they will be better than many more popular speakers out there today that costs more -- the designer knew what he was doing and did not put them together just to make fast money. You made a wise choice.
 
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alwaysflatulent

Audioholic Intern
You made a good choice -- and they will be better than many more popular speakers out there today that costs more -- the designer knew what he was doing and did not put them together just to make fast money. You made a wise choice.
I appreciate your feedback. I am glad I did some research before I made an impulse purchase.
 
A

alwaysflatulent

Audioholic Intern
I'm listening to my TP160S' right now and am once again impressed. I can only imagine the 260s are just as good with better bass extension. I think they'll put a smile on your face. You did much, much better than some of the new enthusiasts we get on here who didn't know what they were buying. These speakers got very popular very fast because of the value they represent. I think you deserve a pat on the back! Lol
Thank you.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
I did some dusting today and had to touch the DCMs to move them because they're still sitting on my subs in my living room, so I figured might as well hook 'em up for a while since I'm handling them, right?

I'm listening to Blues Traveler right now. I really like the songs "Runaround" from their "four" cd and "But Anyway" from their live cd, "Live From the Fall". Both have decent bass and Blues Traveler doesn't use a lot of distortion in their music. I'll take these along when I demo equipment.

Anyhoo... I sit 15' from my front stage and just took the TPs up to -5 at full range and they didn't bottom out or break up. That's pretty loud in my room. I've bottomed out my DefTech SM55s at that volume and these guys took it pretty well! The bass didn't quite keep up with the volume but I'll take that over bottoming out. I'm sure it was an intentional design choice roll them off and not try to force them to play beyond what they're capable of doing cleanly so they can spec a lower f/r. It just speaks to their thoughtful design.

I would really like to hear the TP260s!
 
H

huskie

Enthusiast
DR/TL - for what I think is the best sweet spot on these DCM speakers, use the code "EARLYBIRD2019" and this link to get the DCM TFE100 towers for $225/pr (plus sales tax). These are towers from the next series above the TP160.

Okay guys, here is the deal!!!
Normally I am a bookshelf speaker guy, but cost is definitely a factor in that. If I can get a tower and an extra driver for roughly the same price, that is hard to walk away from (though Zieg might)!
I noticed that the cost of the TFE100 has dropped (pretty sure) because on ebay, it goes for $270/pr while the TP260 towers go for $260/pr!
As I recall is used to be $40 to upgrade to the TFE100 (which seemed like $40 well spent to me). At $10 it is truly a no-brainer.
Furthermore, the pair of TFE60 bookshelf speakers goes for $230 a pair, so the TFE100 is only $40 bucks more! $40 adds a true woofer in a 3-way tower! Reviews of the TFE100 are hard to come by, but the reviews of the TFE200 are pretty positive, so I don't believe I'd be stepping into crap if I went with the tower (this can be a problem if the drivers are crappy and the cabinet has lots of resonance - which is NOT my experience with the TP160 - I am generally impressed with the quality of DCM).
So I figure $270 for a pair of TFE100's is the deal to buy!

Next, I go directly to Pricedrightsales (the seller listed on ebay) because @huskie mentioned that he got a better price there. It is a mixed bag on how much better, but apparently the TFE100's are not moving so fast as they intended because they go for $250 on their site! (for example the TFE60 is $225 - only $5 less than the ebay price and the TP260 is $260 - same as ebay and $10 more than the TFE100!). Shipping is free!

Furthermore they have a Black Friday/Cyber Monday code on the home page offering 10% off on any purchase over $50! So that gets the price down to $225/pr. for the TFE100 towers (with the TFE60 bookshelf speakers at $202.50/pr). Kind of insane to be getting these towers for $112.50 each, and I'll wait until Thursday to take advantage of the extra 10% off ... because that is the kind of guy I am!

I often stay up past midnight, so I activate the Chat function and asked if the code would go active immediately after midnight, he said "yes" and asked me what I was interested in. This is where I get a little cagey, some businesses are out to play games with you and others not so much. However, if they did something like raise the price on me just before the sale, it would not be that big of a tragedy for me to say "forget it", so I told him I wanted the DCM TFE100's. He asked me to wait a second and then told me I was "good", they had plenty of stock for this speaker and it is not likely to sell out before the weekend. I said thanks, and he said "hold on" and came back after talking with some guy in marketing and told me he asked if they could make a code for me to use today if I wanted, and they did! Nice, no concerns about maintaining a "midnight vigil" to get my order in!

I said "cool", told him I was on an audio forum and would like to share the code if it will continue to be effective and if it would not be a problem. He said they would appreciate any publicity/referrals and the code will stay in effect until midnight of Cyber Monday. It is good for 10% off any order that totals over $50:

10% off promo code: EARLYBIRD 2019
(The capital letters do matter)

Here is link to page:

Note: In 2007 MSRP was $1000/pr for the TFE200 (which has dual 6.5 woofers - instead of one),so I would expect the MSRP on the TFE100 to be around $800. I did have to pay about $13 for sales tax, so my end price was ~$238/pr.
why are you not looking at

 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
why are you not looking at

The TFE100 and the TP260 have the exact same complement of drivers (on paper). The TFE uses a better tweeter and the TFE series is a level up from the TP!
If we are looking at the bookshelf speakers, the TP160S is ~$83/pr while the TFE is ~$210. At those prices, the TP is simply a "once in a decade" bargain, and I would be inclined to go that way if looking for the best value.
However, it is a "perversion" that right now, the TFE 100 is actually a few dollars less than the TP 260! about a month ago, the TFE100 was at least $40 more than the TP260 (and I think the TFE100 is still a few bucks more on ebay). Someone said that when these sales started, the TFE100 was ~$350/pr.
If you look at the bookshelf models, the prices have been fairly stable because both have been selling fairly well. But if you consider the TFE60 at $200/pr and the TFE100 at $225/pr it becomes very obvious that the pricing does not make sense (i.e. the pricing, in this situation, has little correlation to the cost of the item) as the TFE100 clearly cost more than $25 more than the TFE60 - added woofer, 3-way crossover, larger cabinet, increased shipping and handling cost, etc.
I am convinced that they are now dramatically discounting the TFE100 simply because it was not moving as fast as the seller wanted and PricedRightSales is very much in the business of moving product as opposed to waiting around for the right buyer to come along!
I must admit that I was not intending to buy anything, but when I saw the TFE100 was less than the TP260 (and only $25 more than the the TFE60), it was too good of a deal to let pass! Part of the backstory for me is I have heard (and was impressed by) the DCM TimeWindow 10A!

So, I am recommending the TFE100 as (along with the TP160S) it is, IMHO, an exceptional value ... especially if you are looking for a (fairly) full-range speaker in a 2.0 setup on a budget!
 
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Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
I've been mostly listening to them full range, but I think a crossover of 80 would be okay. Maybe a little higher.
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
I like that they have steel grills that look decent for great protection, but unless I get animals or grandkids, I suspect I will leave them off.
Bolts are a nuisance compared to magnets or pegs, but for a one time task, bolts are easy!
I have removed the grills again -- put the top frame and screws back in -- they will be staying off, as they do sound better with the grills off.
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
What are you guys crossing these at 80?
Since we are down in the realm of room heavily influencing the sound, I would try 60, 80, and 100 and pick the best those. If 100 was best, I would then also try 120!

As another data point, SVS's Merlin app suggests using 60Hz (if bass managed at the AVR) and 50 (if not using AVR bass management - i.e. setting the Low Pass Filter on the sub to best match the TP-160S's natural roll-off).

This app also suggests which SVS subwoofer best matches the speaker. I honestly believe they mostly looked at the cost of the speakers and guessed at how much money you are likely to spend, but there may be some engineering behind their decision. I thought it was interesting that for the TP160S they would choose the SVS PB-3000, SB-3000, or the SB-4000!
As a point of reference, for the JBL 530, they chose SVS PB-2000, SB-2000 or SB-3000.
I think the MSRP of the TP160S is $350/pr and the JBL 530 is $600/pr, so that contradicts my price-based theory!
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Since we are down in the realm of room heavily influencing the sound, I would try 60, 80, and 100 and pick the best those. If 100 was best, I would then also try 120!

As another data point, SVS's Merlin app suggests using 60Hz (if bass managed at the AVR) and 50 (if not using AVR bass management - i.e. setting the Low Pass Filter on the sub to best match the TP-160S's natural roll-off).

This app also suggests which SVS subwoofer best matches the speaker. I honestly believe they mostly looked at the cost of the speakers and guessed at how much money you are likely to spend, but there may be some engineering behind their decision. I thought it was interesting that for the TP160S they would choose the SVS PB-3000, SB-3000, or the SB-4000!
As a point of reference, for the JBL 530, they chose SVS PB-2000, SB-2000 or SB-3000.
I think the MSRP of the TP160S is $350/pr and the JBL 530 is $600/pr, so that contradicts my price-based theory!
Unless they think you need a more expensive sub to run with the TP160S and the JBL won't need as much help?
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
Unless they think you need a more expensive sub to run with the TP160S and the JBL won't need as much help?
Well, I just looked up the SVS Ultra bookshelf and it gives the exact same sub recommendations and crossover points as the DCM TP160S!
XO points for the 530 are listed as 80 for AVR managed and use 60 if you are trying to match the natural roll-off of the 530.
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
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Here we go. I got a new table at the thrift store for only $15!!! Easily worth over $150ish. I think everything matches better. Now on to these prized nuggets. The tweeters on these are great. I think the bass ain't too bad like people are saying. I'd listen without a subwoofer. Dialog is crystal clear. Tested with Morgan freeman. Fantastic. Took a bit to get the sweet spot with music, but I finally got it. Bit of Rock, Jazz and Pop. All sounded sparkly clear without fatigue/sibilance and bass was good. They mix in great with my Jamo sub. I will try to get the center next for looks and audio synchronization. I crossed these at 100 just like you suggested Kew Thanks. These are certainly impressive as F*** for the price. Best Xmas present in years!!! Pics taken with my camera phone so don't judge me. :p
 
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