Capacitors for Car Stereos
hay i got a question about car audio and im kinda a beginner at the hook ups on it but i was wounding if i got a high frag capasitor like 8.0 frag, would it matter if i have a low watt system like 1800 watts or would i have to get a low frag one to match it like 1.8 or 2.0 becuse i got an8frag cap and im afrade of it messing up some thing and im going to have a 1800 watt amp hooked up so please comment this back!
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Welcome to Icrontic.
To answer your question, no. It will work fine. The 8 Farad capacitor will be extreme overkill, but it will work fine. Also, when you first hook up the capacitor make sure to place a current limiting resistor in front of it else you will pull tons of current from the battery and you risk starting an electrical fire or your battery exploding (not violently, but nonetheless). Make sure to also place the capacitor as close to the capacitor (within 1-2 feet) of the amplifier.
First off, is that 1800watts RMS or peak power? I'm highly doubting that you have an 1800 watt RMS amp, but I'll hold off on that judgment. As an aside, 1800 watts is not low power and for a car audio system. You should never need above 600 watts of total system (sub+full ranges) power unless you are doing bass competitions.
The problem is people buy speakers with sensitivities of 86db/1W/1M and lower which is just dumb. Don't buy the brand name, buy the specifications. (I'm partial to JBL) I'm not going to explain speaker sensitivities unless you really want me to, but you should be shooting for all speakers having at least 89db/1W/1M, and try to get close to 91 or higher. The short and sweet of the matter is the higher that first number the less power is required to reach a desired loudness.
Second, it is recommended to have 1 farad for every 1000 watts RMS by some people. I disagree. The capacitor is only acting as a patch on a much bigger problem. Your alternator is primarily responsible for delivering all current to your car, not the battery. But a small 1 or 2 farad capacitor may be beneficial to help smooth out the transients. Just remember that the weakest link in the chain rule here applies. If your alternator is not capable of delivering the needed current a capacitor will do nothing to help you.
The thinking behind a capacitor is that it can take up the slack of the alternator on big bass hits. But if your lights are dimming continuously you need a higher output alternator sized for your system demands or consider rethinking your system(lower power).
Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to discuss sound output from the speakers. In order to increase loudness from a speaker ten percent(in a perfect situation) you need to double the input power. Which means if you are at 100db and want 110 db you would have to double your input power. Coincidentally you can half your input power without much affect to your system volume. Because truthfully if you are playing it over about 100db you are damaging your hearing and that is just dumb.
I'm all about nice sound systems be they SR(pro audio), home audio, or car audio; but there is such a thing as too loud. Also, have you upgraded your full range speakers and amped them? If you don't your subwoofer will overpower everything and the music will just sound like one big bass line. Which to me would sound like garbage. But go ahead if that is what you're after.
I've attached an excel file detailing the car stereo that I may or may not install in my car. It lists out commonly overlooked parts that quickly add to the total cost of a stereo system. Take it or leave it, I thought it may be of use to a beginner.