Customer Reviews:
 great product for the money December 1, 2008
Bogdan C. Limbean
great product , easy to install , very happy with the purchase , works great
More than adequate for most amps 1000 watts January 7, 2008
HMMWV (santa clara, CA USA)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I just can't get over the capacitor trend. I thought 1 F was enough - now they are making 50F caps that resemble car batteries. Do you need it - well, maybe if you are seriously into car audio competition, but this 1.0 (actually the product that shipped was 1.5 Farads) cap is rated for amps to 1000W. br / br /Why use a cap? A capacitor stores a tremendous amount of energy that can be delivered very quickly to your amplifier. Capacitors are also the opposite of inductors. A good example of inductors are LONG WIRES - like the one that carries power from your car battery to your amplifier (and if you are a good installer you have a second wire that returns back to the negative battery terminal and don't use the chassis ground where you pick up noise from turn signals, etc into your audio system) br / br /You see, when a loud "thump" comes down the audio signal cable to the amplifier, it may demand 100-200 amps of power from the battery + alternator for a fraction of a second and send that power into your subwoofer. If your power cable is inductive (a natural property of ALL cables, no matter how big or how fancy or how expensive), then it will resist a sudden change in current - that is the DEFINITION of inductance. By placing a capacitor across the positive and negative terminals of the amplifier in very close physical proximity, it negates the effects of that wire that feeds power to your amp and makes for a more constant voltage. As a result, your bass is cleaner and more defined, your amp does not distort and damage your speakers, and yes, it is louder. Do you need 5, 10, or 50 Farads? No. 1-1.5 Farads is more than enough unless you are going for more than 1000 watts. br / br /This unit also has a 3 digit LED display of the voltage (i.e. 13.8 ) in RED LEDs about 1/2 " tall and comes with some acrylic mounting brackets to hold it so you can read the voltage at your amplifier. If you see it bouncing around as your music plays, then you should use a larger capacitor. br / br /Be aware that you can not just "plug it in" - if you do so, the sudden inrush of power into the capacitor will damage it. Follow the instructions on the package to charge the capacitor with a light bulb in series for a few seconds until it reaches 13.8 VDC then remove the bulb. Also NEVER short circuit the capacitor as this can also damage the insides. Use a light bulb or the LED display to drain the power out of it. If you obey these rules, then sparks won't fly. br / br /Finally, the LED display draws 50 mA ALL THE TIME, so in one day it draws 1.2 Amp-Hours from your car's battery if left sitting (there is no "power on" terminal for the display - it is always on). In a month of sitting it will drain your car battery. You may wish to install a relay or battery switch to turn off your stereo (or just remove the fuse) when not using it at the airport parking lot so you can start your car when you get back. br / br /All together I am impressed with this 1.5 Farad cap I received which is not the one shown in the picture. I am using it with a power inverter to produce 120 VAC at 1000 Watts and it works fine, but I have also used them in car stereo installs before when the customer wanted louder, tighter bass from their subwoofer package or was getting distortion or having their amp cut out when the bass was cranked up. The cap will fix the problem for you. br / br /Enjoy in clean health and post some pictures of your install! br /
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