What is a subwoofer capacitor for? Selecting and connecting a capacitor for a subwoofer

To equip your car with a good audio system, you need to take into account all the nuances. You must definitely buy a drive for your car with sufficient power. This equipment will allow you to “squeeze” the maximum out of the audio system and make the sound high-quality and pleasant to the ear. Below we will talk in detail about this technique.

Main characteristics

The subwoofer drive is used not only in high-end audio systems, but also in conventional ones. This technique can significantly improve the properties of the amplifier. Modern subwoofers consume quite a lot of electricity at peak moments of the audio signal. Even the most advanced battery cannot quickly supply significant current. The gadget in question is used to solve this problem.

Also, do not forget about the operation of other electrical appliances in the car. For example, an air conditioner, which can absorb up to thirty percent of the energy generated by the generator. This often leads to sound distortion, especially when delivering powerful bass. A car subwoofer drive solves this problem. It is an electrolytic type capacitor, the capacity of which is sufficient to accumulate electric current. This device is used to supply energy to the subwoofer.

The equipment is installed in close proximity to the amplifier. It is often equipped with voltmeters and charge indicator lights. The equipment set includes everything necessary for installation. Note that the capacitor and amplifier should be located at a distance of no more than fifty centimeters. The connectors of the equipment in question are most often gold-plated. This is necessary to reduce resistance as much as possible. The operating voltage of the equipment can reach twenty-four volts.

From us you can buy a subwoofer drive of various models. Our specialists will help you choose the device that best suits your audio system. The price of a gadget directly depends on its characteristics and manufacturer. The Autopodium company offers a wide range of these devices. Therefore, choosing a subwoofer storage capacitor will not be difficult at all.

Advantages of the Autopodium company

The energy storage devices we present for subwoofers are distinguished by a high level of:

  • quality;
  • reliability;
  • durability.

We offer equipment from the manufacturer. Therefore, its price is lower than that of most competitors of the Autopodium company. The devices we present meet international quality standards. They are among the best on the market.

To purchase a subwoofer tank from us, you need to contact us by phone numbers listed on the website. We will quickly process your application. You can receive your gadget via pick-up or order delivery from one of the courier services.

Today it is not difficult to find this device. It is available in many stores that sell accessories and other items for the car. At the same time, their choice is huge. They differ in both quality characteristics and the presence of additional functions. Everyone can choose the option that they like.

As for device connections, you can use the help of specialists. They will do it quickly and efficiently necessary work, but you will need to pay a certain amount of money for this. If you want to save money, you can connect the subwoofer and all its components yourself. It's not difficult at all, so anyone can do it. But there are some nuances and subtleties that are important to know. Otherwise, mistakes are inevitable.

Capacitor for a subwoofer: what is it for?

The subwoofer is presented in the form of a complex system that consists of different elements. Capacitors are especially important. They are also called accumulators. They act as a filter and were previously installed only on expensive devices. Today they can also be found on budget options.

The capacitor on the subwoofer provides charge storage. It is transmitted to the amplifier, which leads to improved sound quality of the audio system. After the discharge is transmitted, the capacitor returns to its original discharged state. This way it is ready to accept the new bass. Moreover, this procedure takes place in a fraction of a second. A person cannot notice it, but he will immediately notice changes in sound for the better.


Many people have a question: is a capacitor needed for a subwoofer? The answer is simple. Yes. The presence of a capacitor on the subwoofer prevents the device from producing indistinct muttering. The latter is formed as a result of a voltage dip. This applies even to cheap music devices. As a result, the musical composition is reproduced cleanly and without extraneous noise.

Subwoofer: which speaker to choose?

Before you begin arranging an audio system in a car, as well as installing a subwoofer, you need to think about what speakers will be used, since they are an important element and also determine the sound quality. Cars use different speakers, but, as practice shows, the best size is 11-12 inches. Higher values ​​may not only not fit into the car, but will also distort the audio signal.


Speaker power may vary. No general principle its choice, but it is worth paying attention to this indicator of the amplifier. In dynamics, the power should be higher. If this rule is not followed, then at high volumes the sound may be distorted.

Subwoofer and amplifier

If you connect the subwoofer yourself, then do not forget about the amplifier. It can be installed in the system or connected separately. The amplifier is not a major component, but is still recommended, especially if the subwoofer is connected to the stock radio.

An amplifier is a speaker that reproduces low frequencies. It looks like a wooden box. This design provides additional capabilities to the device. They touch on powerful bass output. As practice shows, it is better to use a separate amplifier, since it is independently connected to the radio and is the connecting link between the speaker and the device itself. Transmits signals that are responsible for playback low frequencies. If it is not there, then the system may short-circuit. Therefore, you should worry about its presence, especially if it is not built-in.

How to connect a capacitor for a subwoofer?

Connecting a capacitor to a subwoofer is a simple process, but labor-intensive. It is important to do it correctly, since the operation of the device directly depends on it. The first thing you need is a connection diagram. It is worth studying it and only after that proceeding to the main work.


Judging by the diagram, the cable of the positive terminal is connected to the positive of the capacitor. And from the last to the plus, which is on the amplifier. Then the negative cable of the battery is connected. It, accordingly, is connected to the minus of the capacitor, then to the amplifier, and also to the minus. The capacitor is connected in parallel.

In this matter, expert recommendations are important. They should not be neglected. The first thing to pay attention to is the location of the capacitor. It should be as close to the amplifier as possible. The length of the wire that connects them is no more than 45 cm. Thus, the benefit from the device will be greater.


It is also worth noting that the capacitor must be charged before installation. This is especially true for large capacity devices. Otherwise, hot-plugging may result in a short-circuit-like response. But the consequences will be much more serious and sad. You can charge the capacitor using a special device that comes with it. If you don’t have one, then a light bulb designed for use in a car will work just fine.

After the circuit is assembled, you can connect the battery cable and battery. As for the negative terminal, the capacitor must first be fully charged. Only after this is it connected to the battery.


If all the work is done correctly, then the music system will work efficiently with excellent sound. Otherwise, errors will make themselves felt. The situation can only be corrected by repeating this work. If difficulties arise with it, then you should contact a specialist, since damage to the device or its components can lead to new problems, and sometimes the need to purchase a new capacitor and subwoofer.

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Hi all:)

I won’t overload you with technical concepts and terms; I’ll write a generalized useful information from the Internet + knowledge from personal experience.

So, let's go. Anyone who has a subwoofer in their car has probably asked the question “what is a storage device (capacitor) and why is it needed at all? Maybe you can listen to music without it.” Let's figure it out.

In fact, nothing more than a ionistor-super capacitor, yes it sounds impressive :)) in fact, this is a device that is capable of quickly accumulating and releasing energy, it is used at high current loads, this is in brief. The Internet is filled with all kinds of information, in particular, “advisers” predominate, people who have forgotten or do not know the physics course primary school or who don’t understand what we’re talking about at all. Please remember two axioms:

Axiom No. 1. The subwoofer drive is a CONSUMER on the network. That is, it is NOT capable of generating electricity itself! It is capable of ACCUMULATING it and consuming quite a bit for its own needs, various types of losses and leaks in capacitors, but this is absolutely minuscule. This means that BY DEFINITION he cannot, no matter how hard he tries :) extend the life of the battery or somehow make his life easier.

Axiom No. 2. The subwoofer storage device serves to accumulate energy and transfer it to the consumer. At the same time, it has a very low internal resistance - it releases it very quickly and accumulates it just as quickly. At the same time, it does not work at all like a battery; this is not the same thing. The fact is that the peak of return occurs at the first moment of consumption, after which the charge begins to drop sharply along with the rate of return.

Based on the above, it will be much more useful if, instead of buying a drive, you buy good cable power supply for example KG-35. Excellent nutrition is the most important thing in car audio!!! But in order for the power supply to be excellent :) it is advisable to use the system together: Battery + good generator+ good contacts + high-quality wiring = the key to high-quality sound in your car.

Believe me, it is much better if it is possible to install an additional battery(s) directly next to the amplifier - this will be much better than any Chinese “gadgets” for storage devices because useful properties There is much more in Akuma than it is unclear what is in a beautiful box.

But there are still benefits from storage devices, although it has almost nothing to do with sound :)

1) For example, you have weak thin wiring and the headlights blink when the music volume is high. Quite an unpleasant and irritating moment, I think any driver will agree with me. Installing a drive will help, although it will not completely eliminate the problem, because you need to change the wiring to normal or review/change/do maintenance on the generator and other electrical equipment in the car.

2) The drive is a powerful filter against interference; by installing it, you will get rid of relay clicks and interference when you turn on the fan and other electrical equipment in the car.

3) A car with a weak battery starts up much better in cold weather than without a battery. Quickly supporting the battery with a powerful impulse of energy at a crucial moment will not hurt.

4) With a storage device on board the network, the generator belt lives like a “millionaire” in a villa :)) it (the storage device) smoothes out the jerks of the generator during bass hits, i.e. the belt will definitely live longer with an energy assistant in the form of a storage device.

More attention, comrades! :) When you turn it on for the first time, or you removed the battery from the car for a long time, and the drive is completely discharged, it needs to be charged. How to do it?! there are two ways:

1 way. It's more complicated. Taking a 10-20 Ohm resistor, the nominal value is not particularly important; the main thing is to choose a power within 10-20 Watts, it will be enough, connect the “minus” from the battery directly to the drive, and connect the “plus” to the resistor on one side, and from the resistor on the other to the “+” of the drive, that is, in series between the “+” of the battery and the “+” of the drive.

Method 2. Simple. You can take a 20 Watt car light bulb, a little more than 40 Watt, for example, at 12 Volts and connect it in the same way in the post above in series, wait until the light bulb goes out, at first it will flash and as it charges, it will fade away, as soon as it goes out almost completely, you can remove our “stray” and Connect as expected immediately “+” from the battery.

Why is this needed? Firstly, an uncharged drive is short circuit for the battery when connected “brazenly”, secondly, the smooth switching on of the drive itself will also have a beneficial effect on its happy life :)

Updated: 09.26.2017

The well-known and perhaps most best master in Astana, and possibly throughout Kazakhstan Alexey Filin in social VKontakte networks in the group " Used car audio Kazakhstan"For which I thank him very much!

I quote:

“This capacitor does a lot of things, but only for a radio and a weak amplifier, it smooths out the interference that the generator and ignition coils create, for a mafon it’s the best, but for powerful amplifiers it only does harm, since at peaks of power the amplifier sucks it out all the accumulated current, and this condenser takes time to charge, and quite a lot of the order of several seconds, and it turns out that it is always trying to charge, creating a drawdown, something like this"

A subwoofer for a car is an acoustic system that functions to produce low frequencies in the audio range. A car subwoofer improves sound quality and reduces the load on the speakers.

Nowadays, almost every driver equips his car. You can often see a shabby six on the street, from the windows of which modern music sounds in excellent quality. To get high-quality music sound in a car with low-frequency sound, you need either huge speakers, which cannot always let you enjoy the low-frequency bass, or, as an alternative, a subwoofer. Nowadays, even the simplest car audio systems are often equipped with an external sound amplifier. To improve the sound, motorists use subwoofer capacitors in their cars.

Many car enthusiasts install high-quality acoustics in their cars.

Why do you need a capacitor for a subwoofer?

Fans of loud, high-quality music with powerful bass often encounter problems when sound drops occur in certain situations. In such cases, there is no need to risk breaking the subwoofer or speakers.

Let's go back to school physics lessons somewhere in the seventh grade. , when playing powerful bass, it can briefly consume current that even the strongest battery cannot provide. The wires connecting the subwoofer and the amplifier, even if they are very thick, have resistance, which at the peak of the signal leads to a decrease in voltage. At these moments, the so-called sound failures occur. It is at such moments that a capacitor for a subwoofer is needed. It is an electrolytic powerful device large capacity, which is connected in parallel to the amplifier and the car battery. At parallel connection nodes, during peaks of increasing current, the device absorbs excess voltage, which helps smooth out the so-called dips of the subwoofer. Due to the very low internal resistance of the capacitor itself, it charges in a split second and absorbs subsequent voltage surges.

Based on the above, the capacitor for the subwoofer protects itself from current surges, which can cause its breakdown, and also smooths out sound dips and reduces distortion.

Parameters for selecting a capacitor

Let's consider the main criteria that affect the quality of operation of the capacitor.

  1. Power. This is the first and main parameter to choose. It is necessary to buy a device whose power will be equal to the number of kilowatts of the system. That is, if you have a system with a power of five kilowatts, then the device must have a capacity of at least five farads. Experts advise taking devices with a capacity slightly larger than the power of the system.
  2. Connectors. Their operating voltage should reach twenty-four volts. To minimize current resistance, the connectors of virtually all devices are gold-plated.
  3. Equipment. Check that the package includes all the elements required to install the device. The capacitor from the amplifier should be installed at a distance of no more than fifty centimeters.
  4. Charging speed and charge release. These characteristics depend on how high-quality the device you purchase. Refrain from buying counterfeits and homemade capacitors.
  5. Charge control function. This function is present in more expensive models, but devices of this type will protect the wiring of your car. If the device you purchased does not have this function, then it must be recharged before installation.
  6. Digital voltmeter and light indication. Using a voltmeter you can monitor the voltage of the device. Light indicators show the charge level of the device.

In order for your purchase to please you with high-quality sound, you need to buy products in certified stores that specialize in products

Brief overview of capacitor models

From the information provided, it is clear that capacitors differ in capacity, set of functions, and equipment. Accordingly, the price category of devices ranges from about forty dollars per unit of goods and can reach three hundred dollars per device.

Autofun CAP-10 is one of the simplest and most affordable devices. The cost is about forty dollars, the device capacity is 1 farad, the operating temperature is up to 95 degrees. It is in demand among buyers due to its attractive price.


Hollywood brand capacitors are also in demand among customers. The price range of models of this brand is from fifty dollars to two hundred per unit, depending on the capacity of the device and additional functions.


Hollywood brand capacitor

Signat ECC1 is a small device, although it has attractive characteristics. Capacity - 1 farad, price about two hundred and fifty conventional units.


The Brax IPC is a reasonable power capacitor that costs over three hundred dollars. This device has super-powerful electrical characteristics; the operating principle is based on automation. Internal resistance in the capacitor is practically absent.


And one more rule. For devices characteristic feature is the correspondence between price and quality of the device. The more expensive the product you purchase, the more reliable it will be in operation.

Subwoofer capacitors are very easy to install, so you don’t need the help of a specialist. You can handle this task yourself by following simple instructions to the device.

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In recent years, it is increasingly possible to find subwoofer drives that use capacitors (from the Latin condense). If previously such a filter for a subwoofer was found only in top-level systems, today they can increasingly be found in budget installation options.
Let's try to figure out on our website why a condenser is needed in a car audio system. A modern active sub during music playback can consume significant current during short-term peaks.

Even the most powerful ones cannot provide such current power. car batteries. Without the use of a condenser, at these moments there are dips in the operation of the subwoofer, which significantly deteriorates the sound quality. It is to solve the problem of voltage accumulation that capacitors are used.

The main purpose of this component is to accumulate charge, which, if necessary, is given to the amplifier for the subwoofer. After the discharge is released, the capacitor is charged again for a new subwoofer bass. All this happens in a split second, which allows for high-quality sound.

Even in budget installations with a subwoofer, the sound quality improves dramatically. The unpleasant, indistinct muttering of the subwoofer that appears during voltage dips disappears.

How to connect a capacitor to a subwoofer

Electrical diagram for connecting a capacitor to a subwoofer

The electrolytic capacitor is connected in parallel to the subwoofer and the battery, the capacitance of the capacitor is selected experimentally to be no less than 60,000-65,000 uF.

Appearance of one of the brands of capacitors

Connecting a capacitor to a subwoofer

When choosing a capacitor for a subwoofer, you need to pay attention to the presence of a voltmeter, which allows you to measure the current performance of this element.

In high-quality capacitor models, the connectors for connecting the amplifier are in most cases gold-plated, which minimizes electrical losses and reduces resistance in the electrical circuit.

In most cases, the subwoofer is placed under the seat, and the electrolytic capacitor is placed in the trunk near the amplifier. It is believed that the distance between the capacitor and the amplifier should not exceed 50 centimeters.

In this case, the appearance of this element will be important. As a rule, they consist of several completely transparent glass flasks. Today you can find numerous models of automobile acoustic bulbs on sale.

They differ in the components used, the eclectic capacity indicator and their appearance. We recommend choosing products from those manufacturers who specialize in the production of car acoustics, which will allow you to make the right choice.