capacitors?

ok.. so i have this mtx 9500 dual 4 ohms thingy. and im either going to get a mtx thunder 7801 amp or the 81001 amp. do u think that i need a capacitor for it? if so how strong and wat brand? im sorry if im dumb with this stuff. im just a freakin newbe and hope to get better at this stuff one day. wat it do?

The above information is not COMPLETELY wrong, but not all right either. Forget the cap, and invest in an HO alternator. Caps do NOTHING (or close to nothing) in a car stereo system UNTIL you have proper power... (even then, their value is questionable) all the power in a car comes from the alternator. Always. Period. Not from a capacitor or the battery or even eleven batteries! You must address the alternator first.It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

willdkartunes wrote: Just remember that power doesn't always come from the alternator.

I was trying to help with correct information. This information here is completely wrong. While it is true that you might be able to sit and listen to your system for a while without having the car running, your battery will eventually (and in a realtively short time as well) go dead, to the point of not being able to start you car. Why? Because the ALTERNATOR is not making any power. "Power doesn't always come from the alternator?" That's the most rediculous thing I have ever heard. In a modern 12 volt system the battery has always been, and will never be for anything other than STARTING the car. It is true that it will provide little spikes of current, for when the ALTERNATOR can't keep up, but this only in places where there is more accessory (read: amplifier(s)) than the alternator can keep powered by itself. It was NEVER MEANT to be a power SOURCE in any car. Cars didn't USED to have radios, and the battery is simply a throw-back to the days of automatic starters - when people didn't have to crank their cars by hand anymore - because somebody dropped a starter motor and generator (AKA alternator) under their hoods... If someone insists on using more accessory than the alternator can keep powered ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS, the battery will eventually go dead, place unneccessary strain on the alternaor, and eventually take the alternator with it.It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

I tryed to make myself as clear as possible, but maybe you didn't read what I wrote... I specifically said NOT hooked up to the alternator. In other words the battery that I'm talking about is in the vehicle and not going to start the car at all!  The yellow top battery has the ability to recharge itself rather fast as well as have PLENTY of power in that battery to literally listen all day without having an alternator to sit there and charge it up.  Apparently you don't know this, but the Optima yellow top is a deep cycle battery that recharges itself in a rather quick manner! (roughly one hour from being completely dead) So you can forget about running out of power anytime soon! Maybe you should run a little experiment with one and see what I'm talking about. You also should do a little research first before saying that someones information is "completely wrong"!

eeek. Hate to jump in on this fight... but wildkartunes, exactly how do you think these yellow tops charge might I ask. Dont get me wrong, I love them too. But they do not get mystery power from outer space. The alternator charges them... PERIOD. Every time the car is running the alternator is MAKING power. Batterys need alternators. (not counting separate ones, which again dont get mystery charge from aliens, they need to get charged as well somehow). Look, whoever originally asked this question. don't get a capacitor, or a battery, if the system runs fine, then your good. Just dont sit with your car not running for a half hour with the subs going and expect it to start. If your lights dim and head unit does too, Then get a high output alternator. If you want, get a battery? if it works dont fix it, right? and you dont need to deal with dual batterys unless you are doing something way more serious than it sounds. Batterys CRANK and STORE basically.... Alternators SUPPLY power to them Capacitors make nice Table Weights If you are bored wildkartunes, go to www.howstuffworks.com and type battery, and alternator separately. I think you will be quite amazed with what you find out.99 Blazer LT.   Yellow Top. Big 3. Infinity Kappa Speakers All Around. Jensen CD/DVD flip out. 2 Infinity Kappa Perfect 12DVQs powered by a Alpine PDX600.1 (in one custom box, building a FG box)

So, what you are saying is that an Optima yellow top will forever recharge itself... Again, a rediculous concept. NO battery will EVER recharge itself to 100 percent, not even your beloved Optima... If you do not recharge the battery with an outside source (and in a car, let's use, let's say, oh, AN ALTERNATOR, just for grins), it will DIE. Again, another "end-of-story". Again, I will say that ALWAYS, the power in a car ultimately comes from the alternator. (OK, ultimately it comes from the gasoline in the tank...) No matter WHAT kind of battery you have in your car, if you DONT HAVE AN ALTERNATOR, you will not go very far, and you'll go an even shorter distance if you have accessories like amplifiers installed. There is no magic battery that will forever provide power to you, just because you let it "self recharge in under an hour". Yup, he's right, if you run it till it dies, then turn it off, and let it self recharge, yes, you will be able to go a little farther in your travels, or listen to your stereo a little longer, but NEVER as long as you can from your freshly charged yellow-top... and if you try it again, it'll be a shorter time still... You need the alternator, no matter what wildkartunes tries to tell you. I am not the only guy here that'll tell you this, either. wildkartunes, you need to understand that you are wrong in your assumptions. You CANNOT expect any battery to recover for ever, (and I really don't care about your "experiments", they are obviously flawed) as you are suggesting a yellow top will do. If it is not connected to a charging source, again (and I continue to stress this, maybe it'll get through...) the alternator, it will die. The POWER IN EVERY CAR, NO MATTER THE BATTERY TYPE COMES FROM THE ALTERNATOR. Whether you are using the battery to start the car or not, isolated or not, 12 batteries or not, you MUST USE AN ALTERNATOR! It HAS to be there. Does this make sense to you? BTW, here is your answer to you "self-recharging" phenomenon... Yes they do regenerate, but not forever... I might also add, that a yellow top battery, IF THE ALTERNATOR IS UP TO THE TASK, is not the desired battery for car stereo - use a red top. Here's why. Red tops are better for car stereo, and I have always said so, and I will continue to say so. A yellow top will allow the battery ot have a longer OVERALL LIFE, due to deeper discharge cycles, again, IF THE ALTERNATOR IS NOT UP TO THE TASK. Red tops are better for high current demands, just like your car stero amplifiers are going to place on it...It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

lamigra05, stick the godam amp in ur car and hook it up and test it in ur garage, if the headlight dim or anything like that then u have a problem.  You may want to consider upgrading the big 3, if your only running that amp your stock amp and battery may suffice.  Juat remember while the car is running the battery is a load on the alternator as it has to charge it.  if you will be running the system while the engine is going mainly then a HO alternator is a better choiceClarion DB36MP

Infinity Kappa Perfect 10"

Respone 800w Mono

ALPINE MRP-F250

*Custom fabrications*

You'll get schooled by haemphyst...maybe not immediately, but it will come...and I like your response, kirk. Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.