Disappointed with a Henry 8x8

I have owned about 4 or 5 Henry's over the years and blew two speakers on nearly every one of them. I was able to use soft silicone from the hardware store to seal the edge of the speaker, but it was a temporary fix.

They are VERY finicky and have a maximum capacity of 400w, or you WILL blow a speaker(s).

I found that an SWR bass 350 burgundy face is a perfect match, or something like that. A Markbass 200w head or something. You get the idea.

When a Henry is firing on all 8 cylinders, literally in this case, you should have the sound of a audiophile's dream on stage, or studio, you know. They are so articulate and wonderful. Be a good player, though ! You'll hear everything. Makes you good fast.

 

Muddy sound (the definition depends a bit on the observer) is usually caused by too much energy in the 200 to 300 Hz range. That can happen from a couple of causes:

1) If woofers are driven too hard at low frequencies, the harmonics that show up when the woofers are driven into their non linear range are often in the "mud range". If this is the cause, a high pass filter will help.

2) The cabinet just puts out too much in the 200 to 300 Hz range. In that case, you need to feed it less energy in that range - an EQ with a judicious dip or two there can do wonders.

 

Something is wrong if a Henry 8x8 is sounding "too muddy."

 

How do you have amp’s EQ set? The same for tone controls on your bass, or pedals? I can speak for the Eden WT-800 having significant experience with them, I find it hard to believe that if you EQ’d it to flat, that you would get mud out of Henry unless there is an issue with a speaker(s).

As far as I know, those are full range cabs that are designed to handle more the 300 watts. Depending on the room, I suppose it could be an acoustical phenomenon at cause, but I kind of doubt it. But, if you are in a smaller room, 300 watts into that cab could be causing hearing issues.

 

I believe the speakers were 32 ohms.

If someone replaced a speaker or two with 8 ohm drivers that could cause issues.

 

That’s why we keep him around!

And an hpf is not only often the fix, it is a simple and often inexpensive fix. And speaker saver

 

That's good to hear.

 

I made my bones, and my living with that cab back in the early/mid 90's.
I got one of the very first from Steve Rabe, probably '93??
Had a mid punch that really did the trick. I liked it and always got compliments.

 

My question is have you tried playing thru this with a bass guitar? Preferably not a p bass. Is it muddy?
I may lean a little that the bass sound from the keys could be the issue. Not that it does not sound correct, it may be the format of signal being sent. Bass guitar is a analog signal where a synth sound, in theory, is not

 

Sometimes, usually a LOT of the time for me, the obvious answer is the last one I think of. I even have a passive "Small Fi" right in front of my face. @agedhorse usually has the best answers from years of experience at Mesa.