caps are sometimes necessary when you have a small battery and a weak alternator, like say in a civic or something very small. they (caps) help to store power and take some of the pressure off your battery/charging system and help keep it from draining when the amps pulling juice. if you have a good strong battery, or 2 batteries, then a cap is not always necessary.

For instance, in my F250, I have 2 nice huge Optimas and I'm running a total of 2800 watts, and no caps. I have no problems because my high capacity batteries and very high output alternator.

Adding a capacitor is NOT going to add bass, unless your draining all the juice from your batteries and killing power to your amp, but then your amp would probably start overheating and kick off before you notice much. Good rule of thumb is if your headlights or interior lights dim when the bass hits, then your losing some of the juice from your system and either need to add a bigger battery (that holds more) or get a bigger alternator (cap as a last resort). An 8 farad cap is stupid. Rule of thumb is 1 farad per 1000 watts, but as you can see, with a good charging system, that's unnecessary, otherwise I'd need 3 farads.

IMO, generally speaking, caps are a 'quick fix' to an improper power supply and their need would depend on how much power your pushing. Often times, another battery, isolated or not, would fix the problem.

 

first off--- its FARAD... and second - you dont need one...esp one thats 8f

 

I wouldn't say caps are required, but they certainly do help. A capacitor is more than just a second battery, it is a second storage device that can discharge MUCH faster than a standard battery. That's really the whole point of adding them to your car. The electrical capacity (measured in Farads) is much smaller than a standard car battery. The battery generally has more than enough storage to run a stereo, it just does not have the ability to supply the power fast enough during peak usage. That's why during strong bass hits, the lights dim... the battery can't supply enough instantaneous current to all systems that want it. Once the demand drops (bass no longer hitting), the battery can supply enough and the lights are no longer dim.

General recommendations on size is 1 farad for every 1000W RMS you are running. 8 farad is overkill.... unless you run 8000W RMS

 

heres a really long and drawn out explanation from richard clark

http://forum.realmofexcursion.com/sh...ad.php?t=17919

 

And since that article was written, capacitors have dropped their ESR in orders of magnitude. The strange thing is that Richard Clark helped develop the "stiffening capacitor" for Monster. So obviously something changed between the time of that article and that capacitor's introduction. Source: http://www.monstercable.com/mpc/stab...p?section=type

In the link from kool-aid, I agree with the electrical engineer who was on page 2 or somewhere around there. As an EE myself, I had a hard time swallowing some of the stuff Richard Clark said. I'm not gonna discredit Mr. Clark, he knows more about car audio than I ever will, but technology changes quickly and obviously his opinion changed too from the time he wrote the article and helped develop a capacitor for cars.

Here's another post on in a forum that has a dedicated section for Richard Clark:
http://www.audiogroupforum.com/csfor...apacitor+clark
http://www.audiogroupforum.com/csfor...apacitor+clark

Capacitors certainly can help... but should not be considered a cure all!

 

i agree, i just like throwing it out to see what people respond with, its usually quite the conversation starter

 

It certainly is a good conversation starter It kinda gets me riled up, considering I design power amplifiers for a living and not using capacitors would mean nothing works. Granted, I do RF (1+ GHz) not audio, but the point remains. Let the discussion continue!

 

: I mean real 1000+ watt power, not no swap meet amp saying 1400 watt but really pushing 5-600 watt.I had a directed 1100d amp and a jl 300/4 and my lights dim,because I push real power11:

 

Caps are useless. Period. In fact, they may even put a drain on your electrical. Here is how they work. They store energy and when certain bass notes that are played require the amp to work harder (lower frequencies) or even when you turn the volume up, the amp works harder, the capacitor releases the stored power and provides it to the amp.

Here is the thing though, it takes time to store that energy/power and these bass notes are constant within a few seconds or milliseconds. The capacitor doesn't have adequate time to store the energy required for each note. Instead of paying the minimum $50 to several hundred on a cap, which is more of a band-aid, you are better off doing the big 3, getting a bigger/additional battery, and/or replacing your alternator.

I'd first recommend doing the big 3. It is pretty much like the grounding kits, however this is what is done (and usually most audio guys do it in 1/0 wire). Battery negative to chassis, engine block to battery negative, and alternator positive to battery positive. MAKE SURE you scratch off/sand the paint on the chassis so you have direct metal to metal contact. I suggest copper lugs at home depot as those platinum and gold plated ones are not as great of a conductor.

An upgraded battery under the hood is another good idea. In my Accord I used to run a Kinetik HC 1400. I replaced it with an Odyssey PC 1200 (smaller battery, different company) and it performed slightly better. Odyssey is a great daily driver battery. If you are running several thousand watts, and realistic RMS wattage, then an additional battery can be used in the trunk, however, keep the batteries the same brand.

Lastly, if you are running quite a bit of power, you can replace your alternator with a high output alternator.

All of these 3 are much more effective than a capacitor. The big 3 is the cheapest, as you need maybe 10 ft or less of 1/0, the battery will cost anywhere between 100 and 200 and is MUCH more effective than the cap, and the alternator is a bit more expensive which can be around $400 for a 200A alternator.

 

I still don't think they are absolutely useless. Its true, upgrading the big 3 has more of an impact, but capacitors do have their place. I'd say its a <1% chance the cap puts more strain on your electrical system than without. Caps (sized adequately) usually have enough storage in them to support the amp for more than a few seconds, especially if the line to the charging system is supporting it. When I had my old infiniti kappa 300 watt RMS amp in my car, when I took out the fuse running back to my cap/amp and turned the car on, the capacitor (1 Farad) would power up the amp for about 4-5 seconds before it turned off due to undervoltage. That was running the amp on just the capacitor.

This is true, but capacitors still have their place and are not completely pointless.

 

I still disagree with using caps. They cost 50-200 bucks depending on what you get. A simple upgraded battery will cost $100 and provide more use. A 300w rms amp doesn't need a cap nor an an electrical upgrade, you won't see that much strain. I've used multiple amps with various power outputs. Jump up to something with 1,000w and you're going to start putting a strain on the electrical system.

In your case, the cap was useful. If you got it for dirt cheap, hey, why not, just use it. But the OP has a Solo X and that sub is going to need a minimum of 1,000w, but that is a bit less than it's power handling capabilities and less power means a need for a larger enclosure for the sub to work at its optimum levels.

I just checked ebay for 8 Farad caps, they cost at minimum $75 and up to about 170. The only brands I'd consider getting are in the $100 range. A Kinetik HC 800 battery would be a much better option at $120. Personally I'd spend a little more and get an Odyssey PC1200 ($160). It is more along the lines, and better, than the Kinetik HC1400 and it is small enough to fit in the stock location. Feel free to leave your lights on overnight, or jump start a car with your vehicle off and you still won't have a problem with the vehicle turning on with ease.

A capacitor has significantly less reserve than a battery as well as a much faster discharge rate. If you're trying to use it to "fix" a problem, then a cap is not a solution. If you have your electrical up to par and have no issues, then to give you some more cushion, then yes, a cap can be useful and help a little. Point is, if you need to keep headlights from dimming, amps from dropping in voltage, etc, then the cap is not for you.

I personally wouldn't go with a Solo X. I know of a friend who had them. Yes they get loud, if that's all you care about then it won't matter. They will need about 3 cu. ft. sealed and 5 - 6 cu. ft. ported, according to Kicker. I'd recommend going for the Mach 5 SPL 12, if you're looking to get loud, otherwise there are many other options.

So, basically, a cap isn't completely pointless, but for the most part it is when people use them since they want to correct voltage problems, dimming, etc. If your electrical is healthy and you have no issues, feel free to use a cap, but if you are facing some of these issues, the cap will not help. One cap I do recommend that I know is quite good is by Alumapro called "The CAP".

 

carbon hybrid 40 farad here bat isolator and extra battery too... never can have enough. a cap is like a spring... keeps stored energy. depending on what kind of amp your using some are power hungry and some are efficient depending how u load it as well. i have no problem with any power issues..

 

Since this hasn't been mentioned yet, the generally accepted rule is that you need 1 farad of capacitance for every 1000w (RMS) of power.
So, an 8 farad cap seems ridiculous.

A capacitor will not get you "more" bass, but will help keep you from having lights dim from low voltage. Low voltage can/will eventually cause electrical problems in other parts of your vehicle, or could damage your alternator. The cap will provide a reserve of power for your amp after a bass hit, so the your amp will not "recoil" from a heavy bass kick. I was running a JL 500/1, 300/2 and 300/4, and I ran a stinger 1 farad cap, it helped immensely. Upgrading your big 3 will also help quite a bit. People don't understand that running 1/0awg power wire doesn't do much if the wire coming off your alternator is 4awg.

That's typically why SQ guys load up on capacitance (for a consistent, "stiff" power supply that does not affect the music) whereas your SPL guys will load up on extra batteries, since they're mostly interested in the initial 'boom' for the big numbers. Not to say that each group doesn't use both, but you can see where each item is important.

 

btw the caps vs batteries discussion is old and played out, we won't find a victor in this forum.
A cap is quite a bit like a battery except for the fact that it discharges a lot faster and does not have near the capacity. There is a good application for one, the other, or both at the same time.
As mentioned above, some people try to fix electrical problems with a cap, when in reality what they need is an extra battery.

Capacity is one thing, refilling that capacity is another, and the resilience of that power is a third subject. Batteries, alternators, capacitors, respectively.

 

Agreed, some seem to think it will help,but it doesn't. I personally use it since I have the wire already. Otherwise 4 gauge is sufficient.