Audiophiles enter, I need some advice.

[MN6WS6]

How many farads of cap you need depends on how much power the amp pulls. Don't go by the rating of the amp, physically pick it up and look for the fuses. If it has a 20 amp fuse, the most it can pull is 20 amps without blowing it. That's how you know if an amp is a WLS (When Lightning Strikes) like Boss, Pyramid, Boss, Pyle, Boss, and.. did I mention Boss yet?

As an example, the amp I'm running now has 3 40 amp fuses in the side of it. That's 120 amps of current. I have 4 gauge (which is not enough but I don't run mine that hard either) and 2-1 farad caps mounted less than 12 inches from the amplifier inputs. When I do jam on it, you can see the lights dim, and that's with a red top Ultima under the hood and an overdrive pulley on the alternator.

As another example, Orion's HCCA line came with 1 40 amp fuse back in the day. The rep told us that if we wanted to run it anything lower than 4 ohm mono we would have to put a shunt in it or it would blow the fuse. They once put a shunted HCCA on a dead short (it was a piece of round bar like you see OCC welding onto choppers) and it pulled 160 amps of current. It never smoked the amp either.

Little bit of math here, 160 amps of current X 14.4 volts = 2304 watts of output (that's 100% efficiency, which is impossible to accomplish with today's technology, but you get the idea). That's rated at 50 watts too

[fastTa]

OK, so what is the general rule of thumb as to how many farads are neccesary per output or current draw of the amp?

BTW, give me some good links for good online car audio deals.

[02Z28]

someone correct me if i'm wrong, but generally, 1 farad will usually handle up to 1000 watts max....but if you have multiple amps, it would be best to put a seperate cap on each amp, assuming they're bass amps.

high-range amps generally don't require a cap as much, because they're playing the higher frequencies, i.e., frequencies that don't require as much power to move the cone within the speaker's output range. bass requires a lot more power to move the cone, because the cone has to travel farther in relation to a mid-range speaker or tweeter to work within its frequency range at the same volume, and therefore your bass amp(s) will need a cap sooner than a high-range amp will because it will draw more power (especially on an amp with an unregulated power supply).

they do make 1/2, and i believe even 1/4 farad caps, so if you have 2 subs and want one amp per sub, with each amp pushing 500 watts max, you could use one 1/2 farad cap on each amp....likewise if your amps are 250 watts max each, you could use one 1/4 farad cap per amp.

[fastTa]

What are your guys opinions on the Alpine CDA 9830 head unit?

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-K6ypMMa...p?i=500CDA9830

[rufrider76]

if you have the new w6's not the old you have to get the jl amp. trust me it is well worth the money and compaired to other amps i have has to be under rated. i have a 1200 watt planet audio the i have running 3 old version 10w6's. i hooked my 1000/1 up yto it and blew all three subs it hit so hard. i ended up with a 12w7 and holy cow. the new w6's are almost all the w7 technology in a more affordable package. i had a hard time picking between the 2 but there is no choice between the amps. i even have a 450/4 running my fronts. matter of fact i have all jl audio speakers and i have never heard a system this loud and this clean. it will play anytype of music tyte and accurate and as loud as you can stand it. i was hurting my ears when i first got it. it is so clear you do not realize how loud it is.

[Formulaboy95]

I have the JL 6W0's mounted in the rear panels. I wish I had the dough for the top line 6.5" seperates though. Sweetest components I have heard in a long time! The blend between the mids/tweeters is unbelieveable. I would rip out my MB Quarts any day for them.

My 10W6's are still original, almost 10yrs old... never blown one of them out. Amazing subs to say the least.

[WICKED LT1]

Hey Paul, what type of box did you run your JL W6's in? What size and how many got you into the high 140's.

I put 2 12W6's into a custom designed box to fit the back of a 91 Camaro. Firing up directly into the hatch glass. I wired these into a 1.5 ohm load onto the single mono output of the PPI. The box was custom setup by a local audio house to help the JL's produce the most amount of power. They like varying degrees of airspace depending on power and configuration. Also, it took a 1 farad cap like was mentioned earlier to drive these this hard. Before that, the amp would distort at high output due to voltage drop. This was especially bad at shows where you had to run on just batt, no running the motor.

-Paul

[fastTa]

Is it possible to actually cause a performance loss by going slightly overkill with the cap? Let's say 1.5-2 farads for approx 1000watts?

I am an overkill kind of guy!

[MN6WS6]

You won't hurt anything by having too many farads of caps. As a matter of fact, the caps also help with any voltage spikes throughout your car, not just the audio system. Since the caps are attached directly to the battery, the car uses the caps just like the audio system does. So that "turn AC on, headlights dim" problem goes away as well. There is no such thing as overkill on caps, unless you are talking about weight savings. But they only weigh maybe 1.5-2#'s each, so just eat one less double cheeseburger and you're covered

[WICKED LT1]

MN6WS6 got to it before I did. :-). Sometimes overkill is good.... Just remember, those things can be a PITA to mount somewhere safe and out of sight. They typically have a gold plate that mounts them together and links the posts in the proper manner. This makes them into a triangle usually so you would have 3 1 farad caps say. Make sure that there is no possible way for them to short out. result is a fairly nice explosion of the cap, and all kinds of bad things happen. Have Fun


-Paul

[fastTa]

Sweet. Thanks for all the good advice guys! I bought a Sting Pro 2 farad today.

I'll let you know if I can still hear after I get the 12W6's going!

[beachbum86]

You are better off getting yourself the JL amp mentioned earlier. They have much much more efficient circuitry and can actually put out the power the claim. Most amps that you get at best buy or circuit city won't produce the power that they claim. Trust me i know... With a set up like that i would go with a sealed box, especially with the W-6. The sealed box will put out a much tighter and cleaner bass than a ported. The JL sub amps are designed to work at lower impedence than most amps thus making them better for multiple subwoofer applications. The 3 w-6's in series with a 1500/1 should do the job very nicely.

FastTA, the Alpine deck from crutchfield, I have an Alpine deck and LOVE it. I think they are the best head units for the money. You can't go worng with it.

[fastTa]

After putting in the Eclipse 5423 head unit, I am not getting sound to both of my speakers in the rear passenger doors. I have sound to the front doors and the rear 6x9's in the roof but nada in the rear passenger doors??

Every wire in the main harness is connected properly, but I was wondering since there are 2 separate harnesses in the dash but the Eclipse only has the provision for the main harness, do I need to do some splicing?? Is this common?

[bill3969]

the size of the cap also depends on the amp itself. class d amps draw considerably less power. If you like overkill, look at phenix gold. 15f cap is available in a box about the size of a hard drive. I use an old phenix gold m-50 amp with two power base extreme dual voice coil 12's at 1/2 ohm total. I'm using a square port baffeled box and max my local stereo shops meter at 154db. The big thing is dont get locked into the hype your local stereo buddies feed you. You can make amazing sound by doing your homework. Talk to everyone in all the different shops.

[fastTa]

the size of the cap also depends on the amp itself. class d amps draw considerably less power. If you like overkill, look at phenix gold. 15f cap is available in a box about the size of a hard drive. I use an old phenix gold m-50 amp with two power base extreme dual voice coil 12's at 1/2 ohm total. I'm using a square port baffeled box and max my local stereo shops meter at 154db. The big thing is dont get locked into the hype your local stereo buddies feed you. You can make amazing sound by doing your homework. Talk to everyone in all the different shops.

Thanks Bill. That is an amazing SPL! But, any advice as to my last question?