[wbarnes570]

Check this link out...
http://forum.realmofexcursion.com/showthread.php?t=17919

Stumbled upon it while doing some research and it really informed me. So as soon as I get a chance to get to my local stereo shop (25-30ish miles away) to get some spade connectors I will be removing my cap and throwing it in the trash can.

Let me know what ya think about it.

 

[ivianny]

nice find.

i still like my cap so it wont be a direct drain

 

[neuspeedescort]

caps are like bufferfly bandaids when you need stitches. its not going to hold until you repair it right.


NEUMAN

 

[ivianny]

caps are like bufferfly bandaids when you need stitches. its not going to hold until you repair it right.

NEUMAN

damn you neuman never thought of it that way :roll:

once again your right as long as ive been following your wisdom on this site 8O

 

[Escort94GT]

I think you guys should read some of the responses to that article, and check out what a bdlitzer says, that guy actually makes some sense. I believe that article is a whole bunch of words that prove nothing, not just because of that one response, but from actual cap usage and experience.

 

[neuspeedescort]

i have been doing car audio for 12 years. i had a cap in my first car. an a crappy battery. mind you i was 18. it didn't help the problem it just made the problem happen a few seconds later. caps are crap. a solid battery or batteries with a strong alternator are the way to do it right and there is no other way to do it.


NEUMAN

 

[Escort94GT]

I respect you've been in the industry for a long time, but you can't deny that caps DO help. There NOT like another battery, you put them into your stereo wheres theres usually music played which will have peaks of high demand, I.E. big, hard hitting bass notes, and when the demand for instant power is too great for the battery, the cap kicks in. Result, the note is still played, and theres no strain on an alternator to recharge a dying battery. More batteries or a bigger alternator maybe another way to go, but its expensive and unpractical

 

[neuspeedescort]

More batteries or a bigger alternator maybe another way to go, but its expensive and unpractical

you get what you pay for. thats all i got to say.

factory replacement battery = 65-80 dollars
+
crappy cap off ebay = 40 shipped
=
105-120 dollars

red top optima or equal = 120 dollars
yellow top optima or equal = 170 dollars

so your going to tell me its nto worth it? your going to go thru atleast one battery before you buy a cap or figure out what your doing wrong generally. so why replace when you can upgrade for a few bucks more and have it done right.

NEUMAN

 

[Escort94GT]

why are you buying a crappy capacitor off ebay? ebay's a horrible way to go for audio components. Like you said, spend some actual money on a decent cap and you'll get what you want. I've seen guys spend over 250 dollars on a capacitor, and gotten amazing results. Instead of looking at no name brands, maybea you should look into Monster, Tsunami, or maybe even Iconnect.

 

[white-lightning]

Optima Yellow= $160. That was money well spent, nuff said. I have no need for a cap. A cap will only help on one hit then it recharges itself and takes power away from every thing else in that time period.

 

[ciento44]

why are you buying a crappy capacitor off ebay? ebay's a horrible way to go for audio components. Like you said, spend some actual money on a decent cap and you'll get what you want. I've seen guys spend over 250 dollars on a capacitor, and gotten amazing results. Instead of looking at no name brands, maybea you should look into Monster, Tsunami, or maybe even Iconnect.

Monster is not exactly a "decent" brand. They advertise pretty well, though, don't they?

My question to you is.... why would you spend almost twice on a capacitor that you would spend on a battery that would enable you to not need a capacitor?

Admit it. You like the blinking lights.

 

[Escort94GT]

Optima Yellow= $160. That was money well spent, nuff said. I have no need for a cap. A cap will only help on one hit then it recharges itself and takes power away from every thing else in that time period.

-Because it isn't just one note on a cd that needs that instant power, we've all heard music that had several hard hits, sometimes one after the other in fast succession.

-Caps charge just about as quickly as it discharges, so it really doesnt put any strain on your electrical system. Thats what their designed to do

-And yes a good quality battery can provide good power to your stereo and may sound good, but unless it can get that power out fast enough, on those hard hits your missing sound and hurting your charging system.

 

[ciento44]

The charging system still has to charge the cap... there's really no difference. A strong battery, and upgrading "The Big 3" will do far more than a cap ever will, and for cheaper.

Like i said... caps are used because of pushy salespeople, advertising, and pretty lights.

 

[neuspeedescort]

i never said i bought a cap off ebay. i was telling you what way to many people with internet access do end up doing.

you are not seeing my point here. i don't run a cap nore will i ever again. the last cap i had was a BatCap400. its half cap half battery. infact they say you can use it as a battery if you want. but even then i had a soild alternator a yellow top equal and 2ga running everything.

cap or not your going to need system upgrades to handle large power useage. just don't waste your money on a cap when you could buy an after market alternator for 250 bucks. my buddy just bought a 170 amp for his mx3 for less then that.

Like i said... caps are used because of pushy salespeople, advertising, and pretty lights.

hurray for blinking volt gauges!

NEUMAN

 

[Escort94GT]

I dont think you see my point either.. I didnt mean you NEED to have a capacitor, i merely want to point out that Capacitors are indeed a worthwhile investment.

Yes you need to have a decent battery and alternator to provide good power to the stereo, but adding a cap will help save those components

An example is on bigger subwoofer setup, when driving at night some people notice their lights will start dimming to the music. That is because the stereo's sucking up too much power for the battery to handle, so it starts taking it out of the rest of the electrical system.

A good capacitor properly installed will stop this, because it stored energy, then releases it when the battery can no longer handle the drain, I.E. on those BIG heavy bass notes.

And as soon as the note is played, the cap recharges in an instant, and is ready for the next hit

 

[neuspeedescort]

i see your point you think that a capacitor is going to solve the issue. its only going to bandaid it. the wasted money on a worthwhile investment as you seem to think it is can be flipped twords a solid battery or alternator upgrade. that will properly solve the issue at hand.

if you have a good battery and a good alternator there is no need for a cap.

i know big systems. an i know that all the big ones aren't running caps! find me a true SPL guy running a cap. they don't they all run multiple batteries and high output alternators.

a cap can only store the energy it is provided. if your battery drops to 12 the cap isn't going to hop to 14 some how.

so in closing if you think a cap is going to do anything but look cool don't exceed 88mph.


NEUMAN

 

[Escort94GT]

Neuman, the reason you dont see caps in BIG systems is because there not looking for clarity in notes, there more looking for db's, as i understand.

Caps i've noticed work best in day to day stereo's. All the way from a self installed sub setup to a professionally installed boomer, but not crazy comp stuff, because your running constant power most of the time, short spikes of power.

It seems you think a capacitor is supposed to send a charge to the battery when it drops below 12 volts to help with the power loss. Look into caps, thats not what their designed to do. They cover the Peak powers advertised on audio amp and sub boxes.

 

[ciento44]

Neuman, the reason you dont see caps in BIG systems is because there not looking for clarity in notes, there more looking for db's, as i understand.

Caps i've noticed work best in day to day stereo's. All the way from a self installed sub setup to a professionally installed boomer, but not crazy comp stuff, because your running constant power most of the time, short spikes of power.

It seems you think a capacitor is supposed to send a charge to the battery when it drops below 12 volts to help with the power loss. Look into caps, thats not what their designed to do. They cover the Peak powers advertised on audio amp and sub boxes.

That's not what caps do, either....

Neuman knows what caps do.

 

[Escort94GT]

So tell me what caps do. Prove me wrong instead of just telling me im wrong.

 

[neuspeedescort]

So tell me what caps do. Prove me wrong instead of just telling me im wrong.

really simple

you cant charge something that doesn't have the power source to charge it. so after that first hard hit your done. game over. that second note is only going to dim your lights. your charging system will not have time to rebuild itself if you don't have a proper battery to do the work in the first place. so your system is only as good as your weakest link. just like everything else in the car world.

NEUMAN