12.0V vs. 14.4V whats the difference?

I see manufacturers rate there HU's and AMP's at 12volt and 14.4V. 14.4V is always much better specs.

If your hooking it to your battery, then I assume 12volts right? How are the 14.4V numbers acheived?

certain  batterys will put out higher voltage.. i have a 96 exlporer with what i believe to be factory battery..(acdelco ) i think and im pushin 14.4v but u will never get 14 almost ever unless u have a dual battery or a cap at least but lights take at least 2 then ur HU take about 1-2 to run it then ur a/c and etc... so if uve got a 14.4v system its running at about 12 to ur stereo...maybe someone can shed more light than i can

14.4 volts is the maximum a standard 12 volt automotive system can handle.  Most car alternators are designed to put out this voltage so they can charge your battery.  The battery operates at a nominal 12 volts, which is actually about 11.5 to 13.5.  The reason audio equipment seems to have better specs at 14.4 volts is because at higher voltages it requires less current to produce the same power.  Power in a DC system = voltage X current.  So, if an amp can handle, say, 10 amps of current, it would make 120 watts at 12.0 volts, and 144 watts at 14.4 volts.  If you are trying to sell amplifiers, which one do you think is smarter to advertise?  Right, 144.  When you are choosing audio equipment, NEVER believe the 14.4 volt specs and NEVER believe the "peak" specs.  Look for the 12.0 volt NOMINAL specs and for RMS (or average) values and make decisions based on those.  You can always be fairly certain the equipment will perform to the 12 volt numbers.

Ditto!

-------------
Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

Most everything will just run off your alternator after your car is started so thats the only way to get 14.4... ull never get 14.4 with car off

-------------
---- 1996 Chevy S10 ----
1 Lightning Audio S2.600.2 Amp
2 Lightning Audio 12" Subs
1 Lightning Audio 1 Farad Cap

i agree.. but correct me if im wrong its almost impossible to get a full 14.4 or 12.0 volts out of a regular car stereo setup... by regular i mean no cap no extra battery nothing... right?.. i know cap may give u an xtra volt or 2 but thats it

Nope, that's wrong.  I HATE caps and never use them.  They cannot give you "extra volts."  Your system will never go above the voltage your alternator can produce.  Running a constant 13.5 volts in my car with alternator upgrade only (no caps and stock battery) and pushing about 2100 watts total.

i think caps can help as far as delivering power quick but it doesnt really solve any big problems... an alt is best in the end

-------------
---- 1996 Chevy S10 ----
1 Lightning Audio S2.600.2 Amp
2 Lightning Audio 12" Subs
1 Lightning Audio 1 Farad Cap

caps are best used for spl'ers. Guys who pull up in the lanes and need a major jolt of power for a db run. An altenator cant nessasarily supply this huge jolt, thats the real purpose of a cap, at least from my experience.

a high output alt can  provide that voltage

-------------
---- 1996 Chevy S10 ----
1 Lightning Audio S2.600.2 Amp
2 Lightning Audio 12" Subs
1 Lightning Audio 1 Farad Cap

My 150 amp altenator couldnt do it without some capacitor help. I had 3 1 farad caps wired in and the 150 amp altenator to keep up with 4 bd500's running to two solobaric 15's

hmmm well if you think it helps but i took my cap out and theres been no difference at all

-------------
---- 1996 Chevy S10 ----
1 Lightning Audio S2.600.2 Amp
2 Lightning Audio 12" Subs
1 Lightning Audio 1 Farad Cap

I am not going to comment on anything else except for the fact that a cap can never disharge at a higher voltage than what it has been charged to.  A cap is not a voltage source, but it does resist a change in voltage.  That is why your voltage stays more stable when using a cap or multiple caps.  Batcap's by Xstatic, I believe are a good idea, they can't charge and discharge as fast as a capacitor but they do have a higher reserve (or larger plates to store the voltage on, like a battery).  So on the extremely long bass notes they will help stabilize your voltage more.  Just one other thing while I'm at it; most cars voltage regulators are typically set to 13.8 volts and batteries typically measure out to be 12.6V since it is "6" 2.1V cells wired in series.

Yea ive always liked how those batcaps sounded, never tried one though

-------------
---- 1996 Chevy S10 ----
1 Lightning Audio S2.600.2 Amp
2 Lightning Audio 12" Subs
1 Lightning Audio 1 Farad Cap

I agree with the above. Caps seem to hold voltage more than produce higher voltage. Like people with big subs having there lights dim out when the bass hits, then they throw a cap in and there headlights don't dim anymore because the stored charge in the cap smooths out the voltage draw........

i can agree with that but for some setups like mine they dont do anything

-------------
---- 1996 Chevy S10 ----
1 Lightning Audio S2.600.2 Amp
2 Lightning Audio 12" Subs
1 Lightning Audio 1 Farad Cap