Capacitors: worthwhile or overkill?

1740 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Ocelaris, Jul 5, 2005

Whirlygig

Discussion Starter · Jul 4, 2005

Hey guys,

Just wondering whether cpacitors are important. I am assuming instalation, wire gauge, battery type, alternator output, amp size, draw, etc. will all play a roll in this but I haven't used one before and just don't know.

Please help.

I am running a Mcintosh MCC406 bridged 200W @ 4ohms to a pair of Excel W18's in the upper doors and the front of the amp is 100W @ 4ohms running a pair of LCY130's.

I will also be running a XXLS 12 enclosed in the trunk off an Mcintosh MCC301 300W x 1 @ 4ohms or 600 x 1 @ 2ohms.

The system isn't in yet, I have most of the gear purchased or on order, but I am guessing the XXLS won't need the full 600, I might be able to get away with running it on 4ohms @ 300W.

It will be active using the Behringer 2496. That is, when the new power supply comes out. But lot's to do before then.

Thanx in advance for the suggestions on the capacitor, or anything else.

Car is a 99 Vovlo S70.

Whirlygig

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87DXHatch

· #2 · Jul 4, 2005

You shouldn't need a capacitor, as long as you upgrade your under-hood wiring to at least 4-guage.

I ran ~1600 watts RMS on my 70-amp alternator with my old '89 Honda Accord and the lights only dimmed when I had it cranked to painful levels.

You should be fine without one.

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Whirlygig

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 4, 2005

87DXHatch,

Thanx, tha's kind of what I thought. I have run multiple amp systems in the past and never run one. I just didn't know if they actually made a difference or if they were meant for really huge loads. The mac's are strong but not rediculously so. The 301 will make 50 amps at full pace but I will never run it that hard.

I will run fresh cable right from the battery with the proper fuse near the battery and distribution blocks at the amp rack. But if you guys thought they were a good idea I wanted to rig it into the rack from the start and not an after thought.

If I do need to run one, how do you figure out how big of a capacitor to run. I see these things for sale with sizes all over the board????

Thanx again,

Whirlygig

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npdang

· #4 · Jul 4, 2005

You should be fine unless you are a big spl enthusiast. Bass frequencies is really where you use the most power.

I have an old honda accord, and no cap or electrical upgrades. I get pretty good dynamics, windows, mirror, and doors vibrating, and I'm fine. It gets very loud almost painful, but of course my bass is balanced well with the frontstage so really more than several hundred watts is not needed.

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AzGrower

· #5 · Jul 4, 2005

Its my belief that caps are a complete waste of money, but if you are set on using one, look into a product named Battcap. Its actually sort of a hybrid between a cap and a small sealed battery. Thats about the only thing I would recommend you use if you want to use a product like that.

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Whirlygig

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 4, 2005

That's great guys thanx. I am not a huge spl guy. I am sure the single 12 is going to be more than enough for my personal taste for low end support. I am not interested in over-running the front stage or muddying the overall product.

I won't run a cap. It seems that's the consensus and I trust your judgement.

Thanks again, no cap needed.

Whirlygig

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Ocelaris

· #7 · Jul 5, 2005

I have an a/d/s/ 860 and a jbl 1200.1, and had no cap for the longest time, then I got one is a trade... I didn't notice any discernable difference, but that JBL is only pushing 1x10" sub anyways...

That was with a yellow top and lots of upgraded grounding etc... and 4 gauge to the back. Now I DID notice a difference when I swapped out the crappy teeny tiny Honda battery that my civic comes with. After that battery I noticed windows and other decent power draws were minimized. I think some sort of upgraded load on the alternator would be helpful, I had heard of people putting a cap in series after the batter to try to clean up the dirty dc off the alternator... My cap wouldn't permit me to do that the way it is made, and I'm not sure that a 1 farad cap would have the right filtering that would be needed off the batterty.

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