capacitor worth investing in?

[m05tw4nt3d]

hi guys just finished up a pretty nice system in my car consisting of 4 6", 2 6x9", 2 tweeters and a 12" sub. so i dont really understand these capacitors so i was wondering if someone could tell me when one is neccesary and what the benifits are?

thanks in advance

[HCVP]

There's always going to be debates about capacitors. I beleive they are nothing but a complete waste of space, money, and anything else you can think of.

If your experiencing any voltage drops, then consider a deep cycle battery. Generally, a decent battery is more than sufficient for your average install.

[m05tw4nt3d]

cheers mate

[holdenboy]

In my opinion, capacitors are never needed. A good battery and cabling will eliminate the need for a capacitor.
They are basically designed to "stiffen" up the electrical system, it acts as a storage device. Storing power and when its needed (i.e. when the system voltage drops from current draw) it discharges this stored power.

The way to determine how much power a sound system draws from a cars electrical system is by the amplifier/s powering the speakers. Generally the speakers / subwoofers used dont impact on the current drawn from the battery, just the amplifier/s.

Electrical upgrades (like a capacitor or better / bigger battery) become necessary when massive amounts of current are drawn from the battery / charging system, but we're talking upwards of 150A. Not something the average system requires.

Hope this answers your questions, any more feel free to ask

EDIT: VP beat me to it.

[HCVP]

Yeah i just didn't want to go into detail, just like i wouldn't go into detail about why you shouldn't buy a Fiesta

[sweefu]

I agree with these guys mate
good advice there, not worth investing in a cap at all.

[scozz76]

To better understand your electrical system.....

Unlike most of the electrical systems in your car, an amplifier playing music doesn't always need the same amount of power from the charging system. When it plays a very loud note, it needs a lot of power, but only for a very short time. Alternators aren't designed to provide current in short bursts. When a lot of current is needed quickly, an alternator can get overloaded, causing the power supply voltage to drop. If it can't catch up, the voltage will continue to drop down to around 12.6 volts, when power starts to be pulled from the battery. The lower supply voltage can cause the amplifier's output to clip and sound distorted.

If there's a capacitor in the system, it can store power to keep the voltage up during the musical peaks. Unlike a battery, it can start providing current as soon as the voltage starts to drop. This can help keep the amplifier sounding clean and clear during brief, loud notes.

A capacitor will not make a bass system significantly louder. It won't help at all if the sound system continuously requires more power than the alternator can provide. It might help a bit with dimming lights, but that's not its primary purpose. It can make a difference in sound quality, in some systems.

You'll find lots of people who will tell you that power supply capacitors in audio systems are completely useless. That's mainly because there's been lots of misinformation about what they're useful for. People buy capacitors expecting to get louder bass, less light dimming, and less strain on their alternators. They don't work for those things, but that doesn't mean they're useless.

[StoneX]

scozz knows what he's talking about.

Simply a battery can't stop the voltage drop when the car is running. It can reduce it so the drop stops at 12v or so, but a battery can't stop the 2v drop from alternator level to battery level. And 2v drop can mean quite a bit of power output from your amp and quite a noticable dimming of headlights.

[scozz76]

scozz knows what he's talking about.

Thanks... I usually end up getting into a huge debate about capacitors

[m05tw4nt3d]

thanks guys point taken