Destarah

And frankly, that was the point I was trying to make ... you're assertion about the cap raising the clipping ceiling of the amp is a pretty thin argument. I obviously don't have hard numbers to work with, but you can't be talking about more than 1 or 2% increased output. And seriously, if you are running the amp that hard, you need a bigger amp. That being said, if you have suffiicient alternator, battery and cable size, you already have a complete power package ... just sayin.

Also, high end gear will have the caps built in to run hard, same as buying an Offroad packaged truck from the dealer will already have the upgraded suspension. Are we really getting into an argument about squeezing everything possible out of the flea market Pyramid amp that someone bought for $30?

Dukk

Thin or not it would demonstrate that a cap DOES make even a minor difference, which you asserted that it did not. There are other considerations as well but this experiment is immediately obvious.

Why is that? Do bigger amps not clip?

Sufficient being the impossible qualifier.

I guess nobody really offroads where you live.

This is a discussion, not an argument. Well, for me anyway. And I think quite the opposite - I would hope one would want to get everything possible out of their high end equipment rather than some throwaway junk.

Gee

iTrader: (1)

Just putting in my 2 cents
I pulled out a hybrid 20 farad cap because the display wasn't working. I replaced it with a 6 farad cap "with lights for the ladies" and there was no noticable difference to me with the caps in or out. Looks nice beside my 2 extra batteries with its voltage readout.

Destarah

It would appear that we have wandered slightly from the original focus of this thread. The OP was considering replacing a 2 farad cap with a 5 farad. He wondered if this would improve the power usage of his amp.
However, I am enjoying your perspective, and the truth is that I will be at my own funeral before I stop learning

I yield the point, I had a particular sample in mind that I didn't explicitly state, so my vague assertion is indeed incorrect.

That is because if you are deciding to spend money to "get more" from your system and the issue is that the amp is clipping, your best upgrade will be to replace that amp with one that gives you more headroom. You know that bigger amps DO clip, but if the Cap is basically raising the clip ceiling of the amp then you will realize bigger gains by using a beefier amp that isn't being driven to it's limit.

Impossible how?

Now you're just being mean At this point, I believe it is safe to say we have entered the realm of "Diminishing Returns" ... after all if we were to use gold wiring instead of copper, we would have less voltage drop ... in what scenario is spending money on a cap (or in the case of this post a BIGGER cap) going to be the best upgrade for the money?

A discussion indeed I was suggesting that higher end equipment will benefit even less from a cap than the cheap crap. The build quality of the power supply on a decent amp is going to leave an incredibly small window for achieving any sort of improvement by adding a cap. So small a window that I do assert it would not be detectable without testing equipment (and what does that have to do with real world listening?)
Now then, going back to the OP and his scenario

Unless he is pushing his amp to the limit, a cap will not improve the power usage of his amp. If he is pushing his amp to the limit, upgrading the amp is better spent money than upgrading the cap.

slip

I have a low powered system compared to most on this forum. I do have a 2 farret cap, and I got it so that my amps will have a "stable" power supply (and a peace of mind) . Even though I have no proof, I am thinking that my amps will be more stable, then be able to play louder as a by product of this.
only my opinion, no proof of this

randy

Dukk

And there we agree completely.

I usually begin with asking what the user expects their capacitor to do for them. Personally, I use them to help keep my headlights from dimming (obviously not treating the problem, but only the symptom) and I did have an amp once that used to thermal regularly until I added a cap. Can't say I heard any difference, but the thermalling stopped.

Sinemeup

Perhaps you were smoothing some AC ripple, which a capacitor is capable of

GiGLZ

iTrader: (1)

Yups.. More constant voltage with proper electrical