Capacitor or battery?

Now since I have upgraded my sub and amp my lights dim and my rpm’s dip when the base hits. Is this a problem that can be fixed with a Capacitor or battery or do I need to get a new alternator?

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The more info you can provide the better chance someone can give you a reasonable answer.

It would be helpful to know what amp and sub you're using, and how you have the sub wired.
Also what car you're driving, and if possible the current rating of your car's alternator and how old your battery is.

The fact that the bass is effecting your car's idle indicates to me you may have something wired inappropriately.

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Actually I am quite sure that everything is wired correctly. I am running a phoenix gold 900w mono block powering a JL 10w7, I also have 2 smaller (200w I think) phoenix gold amps for the other speakers. It is a 97 Saturn SL2 with the original alt (I would guess about 95 amps) and a standard replacement battery (about 1 year old)

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what is the cranking Amperes of your battery.? probably needs to change and add a capacitor.

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With that kind of power (not extreme), I just can't understand why you have such severe electrical problems. Personally I would be looking at installation more than batt/alt. Are the speakers wired to the proper loads? Are there any sources of resistance at the power/ground connections??

Current draw so severe it's affecting the car's idle just doesn't add up with a 1500 watt system.

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I think this weekend I will get in there with a multi meter and see what the flux in the voltage is and maybe try a different ground. I used the same ground with my last system, but all I had was a Sony “700w” amp powering 2 JL 10w0’s and I never had a problem then. I was thinking on my drive home from work tonight that the rpms might not be dipping but just the electrical component that controls the gauges is fluxuating. Either way I think I’ll have a better idea of what’s going on then.

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Cool.
You might also make a quick stop at a parts store (Advance Auto, Autozone...) and ask to have your battery checked. They'll do it for free and it should only take a few minutes. Sometimes you can't tell the difference between a good battery and one that's about to die until you start to load them down.
Even though your battery's not that old -- there are always factory defects.

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I hooked a volt meter you to my car and when the base hits it drops about ¾ of a volt when it’s turned up as loud as I can stand it. The rpms will dip 50-100. The ground is good and the connection on the hot wire is good, I am using 8 gauge wire, is that too small? Any way I’m shopping around for a better battery, any suggestions?

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how many cca's and mca's should I be looking for? is Optima a good brand?

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Optima is definitely a good brand. Probably safe to say they're the best for high current applications. As far as CCA - I think it would be best to get as much as you can as long as the battery will fit in your car. The battery I have is 850cca and 1000ca. Maybe that's why have have virtually no electrical problems at all with 1000 rms and a 75A alternator :)

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 Dynamic Sound - Car Audio/Video Sales and Installation

i would just get a 1 farad capacitor to take care of the problem. it's a little cheaper then getting an optima. jason dynamic sound

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Jason - it's not that I just like to pick on you, but I don't agree with your recommendation. A cap will only help to stabilize voltage when the charging system is already providing sufficient current.

Based on the severe dimming - to the point of effecting the car's idle there is no reason to think the amp is getting the current it needs. Adding a cap to the equation just presents another load for the battery and alternator to try to charge.

I think a nice battery is a good place to start, and if that doesn't improve things noticably the next logical step would be upgrading the alternator.
A cap, if you decide to use one, should only be final touch - mainly aesthetic.

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 Dynamic Sound - Car Audio/Video Sales and Installation

it's fine you do not have too. i have my opinion and you have yours. i have seen the exact same thing happen on a system that was running only 800 watts and adding the cap, it did help, i am talking from personal experiance. if a system running less then 1500 watts has no reason to need a cap, like you said, then why are 1 farad and 1.2 farad caps made, if they are pointless?? yes it could be the battery or alternator, but if the car is still cranking fine then it might not be problem. you always will not agree on what you think the issue is, but until you are to examine the car yourself, you can't rule out possiblities. jason dynamic sound

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Mfg's make them because uneducated people continue to buy them when they don't need them.

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true, in most cases you do not need them, but that is not true always. for example, my system is only running 350 watts bridged into 1 channel into a 350 rms sub in a vented competition enclosure. the otherday, i was doing a demo on how hard a lower wattage can really hit when wired the right way with the right products and twice my lights dimmed. i was running a bass cd at the time. my lights never dim and it shouldn't because my system is not high powered, but it did. i am running the system to an optima battery that is only one month old and i do not do any running the system without my car on. i checked the voltage and it was right on point and also had a mechanic check my altenator and it is in perfect condition and it sould because the car is a 2003. so it is possible to dim on something lower then 1500 watts. is it rare?? yes, but is possible. i do not run a cap nor do i intend on running one because i know that it's a waste of money for me. if you have a explanation on why it would dim, i would like to hear it because i can not and 2 of my friends that are installers at hi-fi buys, can't either. jason dynamic sound

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