How do I know if I need a capacitor or not? I have a 400 watt, 4 channel MTX amp. I'm only using 2 channels, bridged to 1 Alpine Type R 10" sub. I haven't got everything installed yet, maybe next weekend. I want to get all parts before I start the install. Thanks.

 

From what I heard capacitors are useless, just get a big 3 grounding kit. Hit up Hawaii50, he makes a great kit for a great price

 

Are you talking about a supplemental battery, trans, block, etc. grounding kit? If so, I already have one of those. Also, I'll be using 4 AWG wire for the amp power and ground.

 

yes then you should be good. what brand wire you ginna run?

 

nope, don't waste your money on a capacitor...

do the big 3 upgrade and you'll be sitting pretty.

 

I don't remember the exact brand, I got it on eBay.

 

What is this "big 3"?

 

You should of gotten a knukonceptz power wire, they also are on ebay.

 

How is one better than the other? Not being a smart A, I really don't know the answer.

 

It has more wire strands, cheap power wire have more insulation than wire. Here's a example

 

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/...TID~73496~PN~1

 

You need da biggest capacitator you can fit in yo car. No dimmin lights, no flashin an dimmin inside da car.. nuttin.

 

If your headlights are dimming I would get one. You should not need a capacitor for one 400 watt amp.

 

Will Shinjudo's (sp?) grounding kit suffice as an acceptable big 3 upgrade?

 

You have Type R sub running a four channel amp? Are you going to run another sub? Just curious as to why you're running 4 ch amp on a single sub?

I don't believe you're not drawing too much current from your alternator and capacitor is not needed. I think you're good.

 

I think you should be fine without the big 3. Im running a 1000 watt Phoenix Gold amp off my factory electrical and the only time I have ever seen the lights dim is when I was at a show and I ran the subs for 30 mins straight with the motor running (at a low volume)

 

Why ?

 

From what i have seen they have more strands and is usually cheaper priced than other wires. Ofc and cca

 

your lights should not be dimming when you're playing at low volumes. your amp isn't putting out 1000 watts continuous, so if you're experiencing dimming with low volume, there's something wrong with your electrical.

 

Right! lol

 

 

Check this out for the detail's about the capacitors...

http://what-does-this-mean.com/37/ho...-my-cars-audio

and your lights can go dim even on low volume if you have bad wiring without a capacitor:

 

I have caps

.. .the ones in my well built amplifiers. No issues here and no desire to add more crap in my vehicle.

 

"It will make your audio system sound alot more crisp and clear. Definetly worth it." I am curious as to how a cap will make your sound system more crisp and clear? It isn't like it's a filter or anything!!!

 

Magic, duh.

 

The theory is that it will supply clean, ready power to the amp, something that a lot of amps back in the day couldn't compensate for. A lack of standby power WILL decrease output, and hurt sound quality. A lot of quality amps today have long live capacity for storing power, so an independent cap isn't typically required.

All car's electrical power will vary, even with grounding kits and the "big three" everyone hypes about. In the end, having a cap won't hurt your system/car, and in many ways can help, especially if you haven't upgraded you're electrical.

I'd say go for it. I use one with a JL XD600/1. I probably don't need it, but had one from previous installs that still works, so I put it in.

 

Im an installer...capacitors are useless. Go with the Big 3 grounding kit...alternator upgrade... Look at it this way, this car is your baby, right? Why would you wanna do some temporary useless fix like a capacitor? Do something thatll not only benefit your stereo, but the car as a whole...

Also curious as the why we are running a single sub on a 4 channel amp...

 

I understand the concept behind the capacitor but to say it will deliver cripser sound is a bit reach. Can't make sound better than what it already is without filtering system.

 

I asked the same question. Perhaps he is going to add another sub?

 

Even if adding another sub, he only needs one channel of that amp..He should have a Class D mono amp for the sub(s)... a 4channel amp is only good for running some door speakers or tweeters...
What he should do is use that 4 channel amp for his front and rear speakers and purchase a mono amp for the sub(s)...but his post was about his capacitor, and as an installer I assure you theyre worthless.

 

So what you're saying is ..

Multi channel amps should Not be used for subs.
Only mono amps should be used for subs.
Said mono amps should be Class D.

Ok, you're an installer, please tell me not sales as well ?

 

Multiple channel amps are good for more than just door speakers and tweeters! So by your statement, HCCA Orion 425 amp is only good for door speakers yet it can provide 400 watts (probably more power) to 2 channels in 1 ohm load. And yet it isn't a class D mono amp... US Amps is another company that made cheater amps back in the days....

Hell my sub is going to blow up becuz I am not running class D amp.. lol

I am sure Pearlmax knows more amps out there that aren't class D amps that are more than enough to run subs.

 

It was a general statement, I didnt mean no 4 channel amp in the world was capable of pushing subs. Its is however a general rule of thumb if youre gonna include subs in your system its a good idea to get harder, cleaner bass by using a mono amp. And no Im not in sales of any kind. Your Orion amp is one of the exceptions to the rule, thats a very nice amp thats capable of things not all 4 channel amps are. His MTX sub would sound better being pushed by an MTX mono amplifier vs his MTX 4 channel amp. Im sure we agree your Orion is in a class the MTX amp is not, correct? I shouldve been more specific and provided more examples in my statements, I apologize.

 

It is still Way over exaggerated. I havent used a mono amp in any of my vehicles for at least 6+ years. A class D, Never. So by your statement I am doing this all wrong, yet run two successful businesses.

More examples would prove nothing.

Please provide objective data to prove that a class d would give 'harder' and 'cleaner' bass to Any sub, or any driver for that matter.

If you feel I am picking on you, then so be it. Not my intent though. This is a public forum and many will read and believe what you just wrote, when in fact it is quite inaccurate.

 

Man.. I need to get harder cleaner bass, maybe I should run 6 mono amps for the hardness.

 

I think you are very confused. The reason class D amps are used for subwoofers are because they are more efficient, cheaper to build ($/watt), and have a better capability at running at lower impedance. Class D amps do have their draw backs which happens to be sound quality. Sound quality isn't as important when it comes to bass especially since it's such a small portion of bandwidth of songs. There are plenty of Class A amps that can push subs. If you have a class A amp that puts out 500 wrms and class D amp that puts out 500 wrms the class A amp will actually have 'harder' and 'cleaner' bass.

Google is great tool use it some time. Let me help you this is a very simple explanation of the different classes...
http://www.audioholics.com/education...lifier-classes

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-MVcSTb8...ers_faq.html#5

Since it seems research isnt your strong point, here is an exert from Crutchfield website that may explain to you what Ive been trying to much better. Ill also leave the web address here for you in case you may want to check for yourself.
Class A and Class B may produce a cleaner signal, however most of the signal spectrum is inaudible to the human ear. More efficient power means harder bass, period, and thats what you get from a Class D mono amp...

 

Q: Should I use a mono amplifier or a multichannel amplifier to power my subs?
A: Because mono amps tend to be Class D amplifiers, they are a good choice for powering subwoofers — Class D amplifiers have a high power-to-heat ratio and excellent efficiency, which are exactly what you want when dealing with power-hungry low frequency signals.
Most mono amplifiers are designed to run at 2 ohms; some are even 1-ohm stable. Multichannel amplifiers, on the other hand, are typically designed to work with a 4-ohm load. This is an important difference when using your amp to power multiple subwoofers, because you won't be able to bridge your multichannel, 4-ohm stable amp to power multiple subs that present less than a 4-ohm load. Instead, use a mono amplifier to power a 2-ohm load — two 4-ohm subwoofers, or 2, 2-ohm dual voice coil subwoofers, for example. You'll be able to push your subwoofers with the mono amp's maximum power, without running at a dangerous impedance.
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Q: What are the benefits of hooking up 2 subwoofers to a mono amplifier? How would I wire them?
A: The benefits of hooking up two subs to a mono amplifier are the same as hooking up any other number of subs to a mono amp: you can push the subs with more power at lower impedances. Because lower frequencies are less directional (i.e. it's more difficult for your ears to determine where low frequencies come from than highs), bass is often transmitted in mono. Mono here refers to a single channel (as opposed to stereo, or two channels), not one speaker.
Most mono amps have two sets of speaker terminals for convenience of installation: if you are hooking up two subs to the amp and using large-gauge wire, it gives you a place to attach the wires without having to trim them, appearing as if each subwoofer gets its own terminal. But in reality, these terminals are actually tied together inside the amp — both positives are going to the same place inside the amp, as are both negatives. If you are using more than two subs, then you simply use parallel or series wiring (or a combination) to get as close to the minimum impedance of the amp as possible

 

"So by your statement I am doing this all wrong, yet run two successful businesses.



If you feel I am picking on you, then so be it. Not my intent though. This is a public forum and many will read and believe what you just wrote, when in fact it is quite inaccurate."


No one said you were doing anything wrong, I mentioned there were exceptions...I also am unimpressed and couldnt care less about your "successful businesses"...and for the record you can not pick on me, Im a grown a** man, so spare me.

 

You missed the point, if the amp is not getting enough power, it will degrade sound quality. Adding a cap can fix some power problems, and sound quality will get better since the starving amp is adequately supplied power.