Internal resistance optima red top: .003ohmsInternal resistance stinger carbon electrolyte cap: .0015ohm
resistance of 0 gauge wire over 15 feet
My point is that even if you had a 1000 amp alternator, it still takes time for the current to reach the amplifier. A battery close to the amp of course helps, but a chemical reaction takes longer to release electrons than if stored in foil and electrolyte. Most all amps have capacitance, why do they bother? To supply power right when the bass hits. If you played a continous note, the cap would remain discharged and do nothing. Its when the amp requires a fast impulse of electricity that capacitance kicks in. Of course an alternator upgrade is much more important, you actually need a source of power to fuel all the bateries, cap and such, and keep them topped off over long durations. But where capacitance helps is at dynamic peaks that require a surge quicker than that provided by the electric system. A properly designed amp will supply current its own current for a short length of time until until its own bank is depleated, and an external capacitor is just another buffer zone until the rest catches up. I dont care how big an alternator is, if it shares its power with an array of high power amps, there will be fluctuations in current, and a cap will help equalize the demand. After all, when you draw a couple hundred amps, its going to come from the path of least resistance.
