| If your car lights dim with every drum beat, or your CD skips a beat, your amplifier may be trying to use more energy than the electrical system and can supply. Unfortunately, your car battery is not thinking about the needs of your amplifier. Power is being taken from your audio system by other important units like the engine, air conditioner and lights. This leaves your amplifier hungry for power on those big deep bass notes.
Audio capacitors store that necessary power your amplifier will need to punch those big bass notes while limiting clipping. They store power during intervals when it is not required, which is most of the time, and release it when momentary peak demand exceeds what is available from the car's power system. Along with an adequate basic power supply, a stiffening capacitor for your amp is the simplest way to be sure your system always gets every bit of current it needs. From the smallest 0.5 farad, to the 3 farad model by Legacy, there's a capacitor suitable for your installation. Mount them as close to the amplifier as possible, and choose at least .5 farad (500,000 microfarads) per 500 watts RMS of power output. You can use as many farads as you wish, but just the number indicated by the formula above is all that is necessary. |