Question for Eminence Texas Heat users

[Endless Mike]

Bought an 8 ohm Texas Heat a few weeks ago. Great speaker, I mean, really great. But it has one small thing that bugs me. There's this fuzzy/fizzy quality that I find grating. I've heard these speakers take longer than usual to break in. Is it reasonable to expect that this will go away after enough break in time. I'm unable to really crank the amp up to stage volume, and have only put about fifteen to twenty hours of playing time on this thing. But I'm wondering if this fuzzy/fizzy quality is just inherent to this speaker. I'm using it with a Mesa Mark V, and it's only with overdrive sounds, mainly my Barber Small Fry, which is my go to over drive. I love the clean sound, and the fuzzy/fizzy quality is heard with other overdrives, but it really stands out with the Small Fry.

I'd love to hear from those who have experience with this speaker.

EDIT: I'm thinking of selling it and going with the Swamp Thang. Goofy name, but the reviews are very good. Maybe the annoying quality in the Texas Heat is part of the British qualities that speaker has. I've never cared for British sounding speakers, perhaps that's the issue here.

 

[11 Gauge]

The Texas Heats IME take a really long time to break in, before the fuzzy/fizzy thing mostly or totally goes away.

I also found that the fizz tends to be more prominent if you're just using a 1X12 setup. Because of this, I'm using a pair of THs in a 2X12 cab with an old drip-edge AB165 Bassman head. The obvious issue is that it's just freaking loud, and therefore not practical at all.

Anyway, going by memory now, I had a TH in a '79 DR for awhile, and it sounded cool for dirty stuff, but I don't think I ever fully was able to 'unhear' some traces of the fizz, even after the speaker was fully broken in.

I also want to mention that I got a Lil Texas (basically a TH with a neo mag), and IDK that I'll even be able to get past the break in period (I've probably now got maybe 15 or so hours on it). It's not so much fizz/fuzz with the LT as it is with just things being harsh/strident at a specific range of treble frequencies. I have to use it with an amp that has a Vox/Matchless/etc. style of treble cut, to keep from going mad. If it takes much longer, I'm going to replace it with a WGS ET65 that I have laying around.

Regarding the Swamp Thang - I had one of those too and loved it, but primarily for the clean sounds. Dirty tones were okay (going from memory they were better than the TH), but I primarily was just going for a little BF Fender grit kind of sound.

 

[Endless Mike]

Okay, that's really helpful, thank you for that. This is in a Mesa Mark V I'm using the TH in (I commit heresy with this amp by not really using the two dirty channels, because I don't care to have to setup extra connections to send delay and reverb through the effects loop). I've been using a Wheelhouse 150 with this amp previously, and it sounds really good, but at the same time it is a bit characterless. Maybe that's a break in time issue as well. I had two Cannabis Rex in a different amp and they sounded fairly bland for about six to nine months of two to four gigs a week, along with two to three rehearsals. The Wheelhouse has about forty hours of home volume time on it. The TH is nice because it has plenty of character. I guess I'll just put the TH back in and try to play the heck out of it. I'll have to accept the offer next time friends ask me to come sit in at weekend jam sessions (seeing as how my gigging days are almost completely a thing of the past) just to have an opportunity to turn the bugger up.

I'm going to get a ST, and sell whatever doesn't make the cut in a few months time.

Have you ever found anything that helps break in speakers when you're not out playing at stage volumes? I set up loop on my TC Flashback x4, but get a bit nervy about letting that voice coil just go for three, four or five hours at a stretch. Even at a gig you get small breaks within and between songs, and forty five minutes between sets. Non stop mechanical movement seems unwise.

 

[11 Gauge]

Have you ever found anything that helps break in speakers when you're not out playing at stage volumes? I set up loop on my TC Flashback x4, but get a bit nervy about letting that voice coil just go for three, four or five hours at a stretch. Even at a gig you get small breaks within and between songs, and forty five minutes between sets. Non stop mechanical movement seems unwise.

You know, I've been really lazy and unmotivated with ever using something to break in speakers w/o actually playing the amp. In my defense, I've never owned anything with a looper in it, and am very hesitant to play non-guitar noises thru it.

As long as you aren't pushing things to the point where the voice coil would get (and stay) hot, I don't think non-stop movement would be an issue. But since I've never bothered to actually use any method other than just playing, I'm obviously not an authority on the matter.

 

[schmee]

Bought an 8 ohm Texas Heat a few weeks ago. Great speaker, I mean, really great. But it has one small thing that bugs me. There's this fuzzy/fizzy quality that I find grating. I've heard these speakers take longer than usual to break in. Is it reasonable to expect that this will go away after enough break in time. I'm unable to really crank the amp up to stage volume, and have only put about fifteen to twenty hours of playing time on this thing. But I'm wondering if this fuzzy/fizzy quality is just inherent to this speaker. I'm using it with a Mesa Mark V, and it's only with overdrive sounds, mainly my Barber Small Fry, which is my go to over drive. I love the clean sound, and the fuzzy/fizzy quality is heard with other overdrives, but it really stands out with the Small Fry.

I'd love to hear from those who have experience with this speaker.

EDIT: I'm thinking of selling it and going with the Swamp Thang. Goofy name, but the reviews are very good. Maybe the annoying quality in the Texas Heat is part of the British qualities that speaker has. I've never cared for British sounding speakers, perhaps that's the issue here.

The one thing I dont like about the TH I've had is an abrasive 'crakle' or 'nasty spike' just as notes played loud start to trail off. Hard to describe. The Red White and Blues doesn't have that.

 

[Endless Mike]

You know, I've been really lazy and unmotivated with ever using something to break in speakers w/o actually playing the amp. In my defense, I've never owned anything with a looper in it, and am very hesitant to play non-guitar noises thru it.

As long as you aren't pushing things to the point where the voice coil would get (and stay) hot, I don't think non-stop movement would be an issue. But since I've never bothered to actually use any method other than just playing, I'm obviously not an authority on the matter.

Okay, fair enough. Yet you are well versed in these matters, so it seems a reasonably trustworthy bit of input. I suppose I can just keep with the Frippertronics idea, the stuff he did with the Revox reel to reel machines, and keep it at reasonable volumes, and go for and hour or two, then give it a break, then resume. All I ever pump through it are guitar sound via the looper. I'm not bothering with white noise or any of the other ideas. The speaker if for guitar playing, so it seems to stand to reason that pushing the speaker along with guitar sounds is the best way to go. I tune the low E down to D, and play notes across the entire range of the instrument, and push the lows and mids. I'd love to be able to crank it up to stage volumes at home, but that seems unwise for a number of reasons.

 

[Endless Mike]

The one thing I dont like about the TH I've had is an abrasive 'crakle' or 'nasty spike' just as notes played loud start to trail off. Hard to describe. The Red White and Blues doesn't have that.

Haven't noticed that, but then I haven't turned it up that loud yet. I can't help but wonder if that is depending on the amp circuit driving the speaker.

 

[Henry Mars]

The best way to break in your speaker is to play thru it. It can take a few weeks for some of them. Play as loud as you can for as long as you can. It isn't really complicated. On the other hand if you don't like the speaker or the fizz it won't make any difference ..... get one that you like. You know you can analyze this stuff to the point of debilitation. When I first put a C.Rex in my C 30 I wasn't sure if it was the right move but after playing a few loud gigs with it sounds great for my style of playing in this particular amp and the axe I use. I never noticed the fizz in any speaker or the TH BTW. ..... if you keep playing, some day you will be like me: namely half deaf and none of this will be a issue anyway ( sorry about that). Even if you hear a speaker that you like, it may not sound good with your rig. If you like the way it sounds other than the fizz, I say live with it. Rolling speakers is a lot more expensive than rolling tubes. After 60 years of playing I have come to the conclusion that tone hounds are a bunch of closet masochists. To get back to it though, if the fizz fizzes you, get another speaker.

 

[schmee]

Haven't noticed that, but then I haven't turned it up that loud yet. I can't help but wonder if that is depending on the amp circuit driving the speaker.

very well could be something like that. But the other Emi I replaced it with it didn't do it. Maybe I just had a defective speaker. It wasn't a huge part of the speaker's sound, but it was a bit annoying small thing.

 

[Endless Mike]

very well could be something like that. But the other Emi I replaced it with it didn't do it. Maybe I just had a defective speaker. It wasn't a huge part of the speaker's sound, but it was a bit annoying small thing.

Well, it would annoy me! I'll have to turn mine up and see what I hear. sounds like a function or by-product of low frequencies, but could be mistaken.

 

[Les H]

It's been a long time since I have used Texas Heats. I bought them mostly to tame the brightness and add some mids to of a couple of my amps (Twin Reverb Reissue and a Carvin Belair). I thought they worked good in my Twin Reverb, not as bright as the stock Jensens, a little beefier but still retained that "Fender sound".

I remember not being super impressed with them regarding dirty tones but I was playing country and only kicked on an overdrive pedal on a couple songs throughout our 4 hour gigs so I tolerated the sound.

After switching to Celestion Vintage 30 speakers I noticed the last couple of times I ever played through my Texas Heats I suddenly found their tone to seem kind of dull and unexciting. They are no longer my go to speaker.