ok so i have been thinking about buying a cap for my system. now i know why people use them in spl set ups but i was wondering if the would help with running my sub for sq purposes?

do a search, it seems that caps may be useful in sq - but not for subbass

nonne with half brain ever would use a cap in a spl car...

in sq, maybe

don't use a cap for SPL - it's a waste of time.

in SQ, you may or may not get a benefit, depending on the system you have installed.

I would say no. If your system is installed correctly, and your battery and alternator are up to scratch (I dont necessarily mean uber special, as long as they are in good working order) you shouldn't need one.

Personally I dont think so. And practice shows they are not needed. Caps are for looks in my humble opinion. Spend your cash on a new battery and that will put a bigger smile on your face.

For todays digital amps, and with todays high quality batterys that are available,

they are not much use.



if your still running A Class amps, or A/B Class amps primarily, if properly done they can be of value.



However, if you don't have 0 Gauge wire, quality earths, a good quality High Output deep cycle battery,

High end amps, head unit and speakers.



then that money is better spent elsewhere.



Juls

I would say yes.

Do you have one in your car??

i have many caps . . .














inside my amps

- Stooge007 out

If I was to answer honestly I'd have to answer no - because there is nothing in my car at present!

I have one that is going in with the current installation so shortly there will be one in my car. Unfortunately for the trainspotters, it is a voltmeter short of being blingtastic.

I have a cap in my car.

does it make any difference?
who knows,

so why have a cap?
it's a convenient way to terminate the power from the battery before the fused distro, and also works as a distro for my amps' remote wires.

and it looks impressive

...but, does it have a voltmeter?

hell, yeah!
Click to view attachment

Blingtastic.

How would u set one up for SQ, Pro class has refered to the cap having positive results for tweeter duties.
How can it be setup for SQ?.......cors

a cap can help with fast transients in power demand, i.e. less than 10 milliseconds.

thats if your amps cant cope isnt it simon???


most high end amps have big enough banks of caps to cope till the battery recovers???


and that cap looks vaguely familiar...

;D

even the internal caps can be aided by an external, instantaneous source of power. With the JL Audio amps, this isn't a problem as the amp's internal supplies are rated down to 11V - where the battery is happily supplying power.

some amps that require 14.4 volts to make their rated power might benefit though.

The question of "to cap or not to cap" is a heated topic around here.
IMO caps work and work very well. In basic terms caps supply current on demand where a battery and alt only setup has lag. This means your amplifiers will "see" a voltage drop for those few ms while waiting for the battery and alt to spool up. The voltage drop will cause the amplifer to run warmer and result in clipping.
I know there are many here that feel caps are a waste of time and well, if they can't hear the positive results then the caps are a waste of time. Me, I have heard the improvments and noticed my amps running cooler.
In the end, a cap will have positive effects but..... if you can't hear it then why do it? Your not going to hear any change if your listening to crap recordings or electronic music. If you enjoy "real" instruments you will hear improvments.
Cheers

I'm in fair agreeance, it does depend on your amplifiers, and how much draw you have ect.



I noticed with my 20 farad capacitor,

with the capacitor and the engine running, under up to 150 amp instantaneous loads I get a 0.2-0.3V Drop.

without the capacitor in place, I get 0.8 - 1.5V drops under up to 150 amp loads, While this doesn't really effect my bass response so much, because that level of power draw is normally only momentary and the bass has already been played by the time the voltage drop occurs, it does make a difference to my main speakers, and the way they develop the sound, especially speakers which are sensitive to a distorted signal.



You could say, well the caps in my amp will counter the voltage drop.. err no.. if that was the case there wouldn't be a voltage drop, by the time a voltage drop occurs the capacitor bank in the amp is as good as empty.



You don't need a capacitor, the difference to the audio is so minimal, the cost outweights the valuability of fitting a capacitor, compared to spending a little more on your amps, or a processor, or your speakers instead of buying a cap. Any of those things will make noticeable differences.



This being said, when your shelling out $200-300 on distribution blocks seems a little crazy, when for around the same money or a little more you can get a BIG capacitor that acts as a distro itself. (and looks alot cooler!)



Todays Class D or "ICE" amps will benefit less from improved power systems, as there power requirements are considerably less and have more consistant power needs.



Juls

my 5 farad cap was cheap - the only reason I got it.

better to have a cap than to wonder whether it will halp or not

same as gold plated distros, deep cycle batteries, and running 200 W RMS to the speakers designed for 100W.

if you can afford it, then you may as well - even if you can't hear it, at least you have the peace of mind that the problem lies elsewhere.