I recently got two 12" Pioneer Premier subs and a Pioneer 1500 watt amp installed in my car. It is a 2004 Impala. My problem is that I my lights are dimming everytime the base hits or drops. I had a 1999 Chevy S-10 with the same setup but not the same problem. Can anyone suggest to me what to do or what I need to get in order to stop this problem. At night, it is not pretty.
Technical Question
First of all don't post twice, or at least delete one of them, second this probably belongs in a different section. Third, there are 2 probable solutions A. get a battery with more amperage, or B. get a better alternator.
You might need a bigger amp or a bigger battery.
Esquire2032, im not saying DONT listen to the other suggestions but it has been my experience that a larger battery does not always solve your problem and if your wanting to expand your system then i would suggest not worrying about getting a bigger battery as its just going to give you the same problem. Are you familiar with power caps? They make power caps just for this reason i had to install 2 of these in my car to get my problem to go away they have some that look like little NOS bottles and other specialty items but normally they just look like little bombs of some sort with a digital readout on the top. Install one of these and your problem WILL be fixed.
The magic word that people are looking for here but somehow no-one has managed to say is: CAPACITOR.
Basically, your lights are dimming because your audio system is consuming a lot of power (to move the speaker cones) whenever there is a beat or particularly loud noise. Capacitors can be thought of as reservoirs of charge and so will smooth out the power drop between off-beat and beat. You want to stick one in between your audio system and the battery. I am no expert on this kind of thing though, I'd suggest you have a look on a car audio site/forum for some better advice on exactly how this gear should be wired up. If your audio and the rest of (ie important bits of) the car are on the same circuit adding in extra components could do with some guidance, The capacitor size you're looking for are around the 1F mark and about the size of a pint glass.
Of course, your system may still be massively overpowered for your car battery - don't expect it to run for hours with the engine off!
Basically, your lights are dimming because your audio system is consuming a lot of power (to move the speaker cones) whenever there is a beat or particularly loud noise. Capacitors can be thought of as reservoirs of charge and so will smooth out the power drop between off-beat and beat. You want to stick one in between your audio system and the battery. I am no expert on this kind of thing though, I'd suggest you have a look on a car audio site/forum for some better advice on exactly how this gear should be wired up. If your audio and the rest of (ie important bits of) the car are on the same circuit adding in extra components could do with some guidance, The capacitor size you're looking for are around the 1F mark and about the size of a pint glass.
Of course, your system may still be massively overpowered for your car battery - don't expect it to run for hours with the engine off!
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