Car Audio Capacitors – Why You Can’t Do Without Them

Executive Summary By Roger Charles

Does it require sudden power bursts?’ ‘Is your amplifier being robbed of power?’ If the answers to my questions are yes, make every effort to connect a capacitor to your car audio system. A capacitor is a bit similar to your car battery; it stores electrical energy. A car audio capacitor will help you get the most from your amplifier.

Without a capacitor your amplifier will be robbed of power by parts like your lights, engine, and air conditioner. So what happens when your car audio amplifier doesn’t receive enough power?

The light will dim each time a heavy bass note sounds. If a capacitor had been present there would have been enough energy to power your amp. Equipped with capacitor and an adequate power supply, your system will get every bit of current it needs. No longer will your car amplifier be hungry for power.

The Role of a Capacitor in a Car Audio System

Executive Summary By Jay Rivett

You’ve got a slammin’ new sound system in your vehicle, right?

Like Captain Kirk on the Starship Enterprise, you “need more power!” Unlike a battery, where power is stored up and released in a slow, steady stream of juice, capacitors store up electrical energy and release it in powerful jolts. Mounted right next to your amplifiers, capacitors (also known as “stiffening capacitors” because they stiffen the strength of a sagging bass response) provide the extra electrical boost required to drive the subwoofers speakers when the power they need is being sucked off by other systems (like the headlights or the neon undercarriage trim).

Resistance is kind of like an energy floodgate; it determines how fast or slow power can enter or leave an electrical storage system. Capacitors have a very low resistance. Why don’t we use capacitors to power everything?

The catch is when a sudden push is needed to drive your subwoofers speakers harder than the trickle of power a battery can provide. A stiffening capacitor detects this drop in power and releases a compensating jolt to fill the gap, keeping power levels uniformly high and preventing that sagging bass and clipping of tone that wipes out the perfect music experience. Stiffening capacitors are to your sound system what spinach is to Popeye-that secret energy source that keeps your music “strong to the finish!”

I wrote a guide you may be interested in reading: Remote Starter, Mp3 Players Car, and Infinity Car Speaker