Thread: Few Q's about wiring

Originally Posted by matt5112

Longer waves don't need more power. Higher sound levels need more power. The highest level content in music and all media is typically the bass which is why those need the most power.

The battery only provides power when the system voltage reaches the output voltage of the battery (13V and under, typically 12.5). The part about the caps is true to an extent, caps only store enough energy for very brief periods of time (0.03 seconds).

Key words...."number of reasons"

Tweeters will never be able to handle the power a subwoofer can. My home theatre sub only utilizes about 35watts @ 8ohms. Majority of mainstream subs are designed to handle a lot of power and are very inefficient. There's a number of reasons subs need more power these days...listening preference, design, marketing, spl, etc.

Bottom line is that those sub notes cause a spike in power needs. A poorly designed power supply in an amp will not pull consistantly on the alternator and battery. If his voltage is dropping we don't know why just yet. If he has a 125amp alternator I would be shocked if that's the issue. His amps are rated a little less than mine and all I have is decent entry level equipment. My guess is that the 8awg from the alt. can't deliver on those power spikes and the battery can't keep up either. In these instances a cap can be a band aid. You can try the big 3 as well but like Matt said...this is a science.

Think it through so you don't waste time and effort on nonsense and think LONG TERM DESIGN too.

Originally Posted by I800C0LLECT

Bottom line is that those sub notes cause a spike in power needs. A poorly designed power supply in an amp will not pull consistantly on the alternator and battery. If his voltage is dropping we don't know why just yet. If he has a 125amp alternator I would be shocked if that's the issue. His amps are rated a little less than mine and all I have is decent entry level equipment. My guess is that the 8awg from the alt. can't deliver on those power spikes and the battery can't keep up either. In these instances a cap can be a band aid. You can try the big 3 as well but like Matt said...this is a science.

Think it through so you don't waste time and effort on nonsense and think LONG TERM DESIGN too.

I'll try the alt to fuse box wire since I have the stuff for it, fast and free to check. If that don't help it is between a cap or a better amp, I don't feel comfortable enough to have a cap in my car so it will be a better amp.

Thanks for your help