Question
04-25-2001, 08:58 PM
#3
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,931
Originally posted by PrinzII
If I decide to add a second amp (McIntosh or a/d/s) as well as a second JL Audio 12W3, would I have to put a .5 farad capacitor on my system?
If I decide to add a second amp (McIntosh or a/d/s) as well as a second JL Audio 12W3, would I have to put a .5 farad capacitor on my system?
Add one only if you need one. Amps with a regulated power supply won't benefit from a cap. The Maxima alternator is fairly strong, so you probably won't need a cap with a moderate system. I don't use one.
04-26-2001, 08:48 AM
#4
Originally posted by Micah95GLE
Add one only if you need one. Amps with a regulated power supply won't benefit from a cap. The Maxima alternator is fairly strong, so you probably won't need a cap with a moderate system. I don't use one.
Add one only if you need one. Amps with a regulated power supply won't benefit from a cap. The Maxima alternator is fairly strong, so you probably won't need a cap with a moderate system. I don't use one.
04-26-2001, 04:21 PM
#5
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,931
About 550 watts, and that's with an unregulated power supply in the amp. I've tested the charging system with the stereo and all accessories on, and there is no problem. I could run more wattage without a cap. Plus, a/d/s/ and McIntosh amps have regulated power supplies, so there won't be a benefit to having a cap.
04-26-2001, 08:47 PM
#6
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Posts: n/a
Unfortunately what you are saying doesn't add up to a good response. A 10 amp alternator may be able to keep your battery charged but even if you had a 300 amp version it wouldn't help with musical peaks. Even the car battery can't supply voltage as quickly as a capacitor. That is why most auto audiophiles install a cap. Follow the 4 steps below.
1) A musical peak hits and may draw 50-5000 watts from the cap.
2) Next the battery recharges the cap.
3) When battery voltage drops below 12.5 volts the voltage regulator signals the alternator to turn on.
4) Then the battery slowly recharges. Even if the alternator were already running it cannot supply a quick surge of power.
Now try this without the cap. The musical peak will hit, less than a second later the current draw is back down to a nominal level of 3-10 amps. The amp never had the current to hit the peak so you missed the impact of the potential CD signal to noise ratio greater than 100dB's.
1) A musical peak hits and may draw 50-5000 watts from the cap.
2) Next the battery recharges the cap.
3) When battery voltage drops below 12.5 volts the voltage regulator signals the alternator to turn on.
4) Then the battery slowly recharges. Even if the alternator were already running it cannot supply a quick surge of power.
Now try this without the cap. The musical peak will hit, less than a second later the current draw is back down to a nominal level of 3-10 amps. The amp never had the current to hit the peak so you missed the impact of the potential CD signal to noise ratio greater than 100dB's.
04-27-2001, 05:23 AM
#7
Donating Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,931
Originally posted by jmax
Unfortunately what you are saying doesn't add up to a good response. A 10 amp alternator may be able to keep your battery charged but even if you had a 300 amp version it wouldn't help with musical peaks. Even the car battery can't supply voltage as quickly as a capacitor. That is why most auto audiophiles install a cap. Follow the 4 steps below.
1) A musical peak hits and may draw 50-5000 watts from the cap.
2) Next the battery recharges the cap.
3) When battery voltage drops below 12.5 volts the voltage regulator signals the alternator to turn on.
4) Then the battery slowly recharges. Even if the alternator were already running it cannot supply a quick surge of power.
Now try this without the cap. The musical peak will hit, less than a second later the current draw is back down to a nominal level of 3-10 amps. The amp never had the current to hit the peak so you missed the impact of the potential CD signal to noise ratio greater than 100dB's.
Unfortunately what you are saying doesn't add up to a good response. A 10 amp alternator may be able to keep your battery charged but even if you had a 300 amp version it wouldn't help with musical peaks. Even the car battery can't supply voltage as quickly as a capacitor. That is why most auto audiophiles install a cap. Follow the 4 steps below.
1) A musical peak hits and may draw 50-5000 watts from the cap.
2) Next the battery recharges the cap.
3) When battery voltage drops below 12.5 volts the voltage regulator signals the alternator to turn on.
4) Then the battery slowly recharges. Even if the alternator were already running it cannot supply a quick surge of power.
Now try this without the cap. The musical peak will hit, less than a second later the current draw is back down to a nominal level of 3-10 amps. The amp never had the current to hit the peak so you missed the impact of the potential CD signal to noise ratio greater than 100dB's.
Apparently you don't understand how power supplies work and the difference between regulated and unregulated.
04-27-2001, 05:42 AM
#8
Originally posted by Micah95GLE
About 550 watts, and that's with an unregulated power supply in the amp. I've tested the charging system with the stereo and all accessories on, and there is no problem. I could run more wattage without a cap. Plus, a/d/s/ and McIntosh amps have regulated power supplies, so there won't be a benefit to having a cap.
About 550 watts, and that's with an unregulated power supply in the amp. I've tested the charging system with the stereo and all accessories on, and there is no problem. I could run more wattage without a cap. Plus, a/d/s/ and McIntosh amps have regulated power supplies, so there won't be a benefit to having a cap.
04-27-2001, 06:51 PM
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Apparently you have never pushed an amp hard. Regardless of the regulated power supply, which almost all amps have, when the voltage drops from 14.4 to 12.5 or worse output suffers. And yes, it is true that all good amps have built in capacitors to regulate the power supply. While this may be enough to alleviate a single bass hit it is not enough for a long, loud, low note or several in succession. Nor is it enough to help the rest of the electrical system, such as headlight dimming.
04-28-2001, 01:20 PM
#10
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,931
Well, I'm not into winning SPL contests, so I don't go around pushing my amp to 100% all the time. The best way to set a system up is to have more power than you're gonna use, so that there is plenty of headroom in the system, which keeps the amp cooler and the distortion down. Also, even with my system up as loud as I care to listen to it (which is very loud... I'm a professional musician) with the engine on (~14.4v), the volume and intensity don't decrease a bit when I shut the engine off, and the amp gets ~12.5v. So you can buy all the extra parts and components that all of the competitors have, but much of it is useless for moderate systems in daily drivers. You won't find anybody that's heard my system say that it lacks bass, and that's with the sub level at 40% all the time.
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