amp capacitor requirements......what can you tell me

[Bullitt-]

Getting into setting up my new amps and am considering adding a stiffening capacitor to maintain power.
The amps total power are 150w rms, 600w peak. The size capacitor seems to call for 1-Farad per 1,000 watts.
The best value capacitors I have found are rated 2.0-Farad in off brands for $30-$35, this comes to less than 1/2 the price of many well known brands 1-Farad product.

Questions; Have you had any bad experiences with stiffening capacitors that should make me reconsider the lower price items? (I'm always a sucker for a deal)
 Do you know of any reason that having more potential power available than necessary would be a problem?
 Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks
Wade

[moprr]

From what I know you are fine using a larger one as they only store power and then supply it when needed.  What company amp are you running is it a true 150 rms or over rated cheaper amp that may not draw as much current?

[Bullitt-]

moprr, Thank you for your response, I'm hoping these are good quality, the brand Blaupunkt used to be, but I see they do market some low buck head units. What I have are 2 THA275s I got a deal on from Crutchfield a while back, paid $49ea for what were MSRP $200+ units.
One will power 6x9s & the other a small sub. RMS rating for each amp at 4ohms of 75W/channel or 200W/bridged, MAX Dynamic power(watts RMS) 300W , so as I read it peak draw of the two units could be 600W 

Wade 

[422STROKER]

I bought  the amp kit for 1000W and it came with a .5 farad cap.  Seems to work good so far, i got some pretty good bass out of my 10's in the trunk and as long as i'm not at idle all is well.  I'm running a 600 W max Kenwood amp.

Tom

It was 80 bucks IIRC fior the kit.  Came with some 2/0cu( might be a bit smaller now that i think about it) for feed with a fuse and some smaller stuff to make the connections, like interconnects and connectors along with the cap.


By tdavist, shot with DSC-P72 at 2008-04-06

[moprr]

You should be fine with the stuff you got.  I actually am running a earthquake 2x150 running 2 -10's and an old rodek 2x50 for the front's in my truck without a capacitor.  I have a 70 amp alternator and an optima battery and seems to be fine unless pushing it very hard.

[bb71challenger]

IMO caps definitely have a place in a well planned car audio system. I have a 5 farad cap in my neon and run about 1100 true watts. I also have a 180 amp alternator but the cap still helps when a big bass load demands high power for fractions of a second. Some people dont believe in capacitors but I do. They can however be used as a band aid for an overtaxed system with a weak charging system or inadequate wiring. In that case they just mask the symptom and you will still end up with flickering lights and inconsistent hits of bass.

[Bullitt-]

Well I got the 2-Farad unit, the dahm thing is the size of a small garbage can, almost as tall as from the shock brace to the hat rack, had a tough time finding a good way to mount. 
  With one amp hooked to 2-6x9s & it sounded pretty good, wired in the capacitor & was definitely able to increase the gain on the amp for more tight base. I then hooked up an old ported home sub woofer to teh second amp & while the sound was still OK the 6x9s were overpowering the sub. Next I'm going to build a sealed box that will tuck in one corner over the shock tower & see what it sounds like.
   Just running the system off the battery I see the capacitor LED indicator kicking on frequently even at fairly moderate volume levels. 

[Robb]

honestly,
capacitor is just a crutch.     beef up your wiring (google magic 3) and your alternator for best results.

be very careful not to bridge the terminals on the cap with your fingers or a wrench or anything.   

[73james]

Hi there, I do not know if you have allready made up your mind on what you want to do. But I running a in dash dvd player with ipod, xm and kicker 10" sub, kicker amp, also a 4 channel 650 jensen amp powering 2 Pioneer 6x9s and 2 Pioneer 5 1/4 speakers. My truck is all stock stock battery that is 7 years old and stock low amp alt. and my truck has no problem pushing this. I do not run a capacitor at all, just in line fuses for blow out. I run a higher fuse then recommended though, but that is it. I have never had a blow out and never been upset with the way I did this I get peak power all the time and I am drawing about 1000w all the time.

Hope this helps a little, if you can understand it.

73James

[DixieDuo]

 Hello, I have read all the posts you have written about the amps and cap. I have built many systems and only once did I need a cap for the amp. If you beef the altenator and your wire gauge you can get away with a strong system without a cap. I have also found through trial and error that you get what you pay for. Deals are great but sometimes you get burned. If the amp don't have a birth certificate stating true watts I never trust what is written on it. That is unless it is from big audio players(Kicker,MTX,Memphis,Rockford). With those companies the amps are usually under-rated.
  In my opinion,,,,one sub,6x9's, two little amps,etc does not need a cap. Just get a good install kit and you're golden.  I would craigslist all of that, take the money and get big name gear all the same(speakers amp,etc). Sony has good starter systems. I run all Memphis in my Durango, Kicker in my Jeep YJ and will have Memphis in my 65' Barracuda. I'll post pics of that build in the future.
 

[Bullitt-]

Howdy, DixieDuo...Nice to have an aficionado on board..
Name brands would be great but this old geezer doesn't know a Kicker from a Kangaroo..
I'm now in phase II of the stereo upgrade, bigger amp & home built sub box that I hope will improve the sound, at least I'll get back some trunk space.  Indeed I shopped craigslist to no avail. Some of this stuff is just beyond my comprehension as to it's value...not trying to win any sound off contest just want clean clear sound.
  Does db Drive, Quantum Audio, Blaupunkt, & Polk Audio mean anytihing to you?...Low end I'm sure.   

[cudazappa]

if you want good clear sound, then the only amp is A/D/S.  They haven't been made in many years but its what I'm using in my '01 Ram with an Alpine deck.  Right now I have Boston Acoustics in the doors.  Sounds really good and clear up to a really loud volume.  I'm not running a sub-woofer because I just have no place to put it (my gear is neatly stored under the seats).

[bb71challenger]

I also love Boston Acoustics. I have a set of pro's, Z-6 and a newer component set thats in my truck. I have an 8" JL W7 that hits like a brick for such a small sub. I have heard of a/b class and d class as those are what I run, a/b for mids/highs and class d for sub. What is A/D/S class? I have never heard of that one before. I like Alpine decks too but give me an old Eclipse and I am more than happy.

Duh, I re-read your post cudazappa and now see that A/D/S is a brand of amplifier not a class. Reading comprehension>me
Oh and if someone wants a hot tip on a really nice 4 channel amp look into Total Mobile Audio, a subsidiary of JL Audio. I bought one for my wifes Sebring and was so impressed I bought another for my truck. 320 watts and under 200 bucks. Thats real watts, not Jensen or Rockwood watts either. I have 3 JL / amps and these TMA amps hang right with a 300/4 for about half the price.

[DixieDuo]

 Wasn't trying to offend anyone if i did.. You said you are building your own sub box. I love it when people build their own and not buy premade. Shows an appreciation for your audio equipment. You asked if I knew about the other equipment,,yes and in my opinion Polk is the best on the list. The other stuff is good dont get me wrong but Polk is tops in the bunch. If you really want trunk space,,please take a look at MemphisCarAudio.com. They have a 10'' and 12'' sub that is part of their S-class series that is a slim sub. They also have S-class amps that are what they call stackable. 3 stacked on top of each other are about the size of a car battery. This is a very affordable set of subs and amps. Memphis also carries 6x9's and other sizes.. They are a great company as far as  warranty and customer service go. Clean clear sound wins everytime. If you have questions ask away. If I can't answer them I have 2 friends in the car audio business. So i am sure we can figure it out. Thanks guys.

[Bullitt-]

I'm sure the Memphis is a fine piece...Moderate price to, maybe some day I can afford that quality..
  Oh & you can't offend me....I'm a cheapskate & proud of it.