i got a question about my audio setup in the jeep.

head unit: jvc kd-s51
front: 2 pioneer 4x6 (blue)
rear soundbar: 2 pioneer 5 1/4 (blue)
amplifier: mtx x thunder 502x
subwoofer: X scorpion 12" 620 watts
battery: optima red top

before you say "wtf is a x scorpion woofer?" thats what i asked! my buddy gave it to me for almost free. he owed me a favor, i said id take this in trade.
its a 12" woofer with rubber surrounds in a sealed box that seems to work well with it.

my amp powers that thing easily. no complaints with the sound.
for basically free, im more than ok with it!

im a huge Kicker and JL Audio fan, so if i had to go get a 12" woofer in a box, it would be a lower end model from either company.... anyways, im happy with how this "free" sub sounds.... so dont tell me to go buy a new sub please.


the problem is:

with the jeep's engine running, i have no problem with the audio, BUT if the jeep is off and the stereo is on, the audio seems to almost sound like a cd that is "skipping" it happens on bass hits when i have the volume up, and/or the amp turned up too high via the the subwoofer controls in the head unit.

would buying a "cap" get rid of this problem? and if so, what size we talking about?
how many farads do i need ?

thats what caps are designed to do right?

all i want to do is run my stereo periodically with the engine off, but at a volume level that would be noticeable while im camping, and of course also hear the bass from the sub.

sorry for the long question!

but thanks in advance!

Im no car audio expert, but I'd think you'll need a new batter with more power for that kind of setup along with a capacitor.... although I don't know much about those either.

i dont think its a battery problem... the amp im running is a small 2 channel amp that does 150 watts RMS.

ive got the optima red top because of my winch. the red tops are designed for "short term high current applications" that could be as simple as starting your engine, or powering a winch.

and let me stop anyone before they go into the "go buy a deep cell battery" card.

Spanky: For a setup like that, I have always seen 1 Farad caps do the trick. Actually I am kinda surprised it's doing that, but yeah 1 Farad. I am no audio anything. Just Have helped a few friends set some things up.

Deep cell batteries don't do well in vehicles with alternators anyway.

Why is that they work fine on boats with alternaters including my boat.

opps nevermind thought you said deep cycle not deep cell.

Yes a 1.0 Farad Cap would solve your problem it is called amp clipping and yes I have even seen this happen while the engine is running but normally it is due to a cell short in the batt but in your case it is due to the type of batt you have it is a great batt but with out the help from the alternator it will cause the clipping from the amp draw.I have a cheap setup in my Jeep due to security or the lack there of in a Jeep but I have installed some killer systems but always make the best of the cheap stuff for myself.LOL You are looking at $119-$190 for a good 1.0 Cap.

I hadn't looked at capasitors in a while so decided to check out ebay and they either have came way down in price or there are a lot of listings for junk.They are not name brand stuff but 1-4 Farad for 30-80 dollars.Huhh http://cgi.ebay.com/ROCKFORD-FOSGATE-...QQcmdZViewItem

cool... glad to hear a simple solution to my problem.
1 farad cap is what i will get around to buying here in the future.

thanks

what are the led digital read outs on the capacitors about ?
what do they do? are they worth the couple extra bucks to get a cap with the digital read out ?

a capacitor is an electrical energy storage device for when the amp is asking for more voltage than the battery is willing to give. i believe the digital readouts just tell how much voltage is currently stored in the capacitor.

anyone else?

is that what the digital readouts display...the voltage currently stored?? are they worth the few extra $$ for one with the digital readout?

i dont see myself going to check my cap often to see how its doing. unless its bad to use the cap below a certain point? there for having a way to know the voltage in the cap is helpful... IE: a digital readout!

any help is appreciated.