How Does a Bass Capacitor Work?

Certain electronic devices contain other devices called capacitors. These devices, also called condensers, are composed of three parts. The three parts are a pair of conductors, which conduct electricity, and a dielectric, which separates them. The dielectric is composed of material that does not conduct electricity, such as paper, plastic or ceramic. The conductors, which are wide and flat, are positioned parallel to one another, and are very close together. When an electric current flows between the conductors, an electric field is created in the dielectric. The dielectric stores excess energy present in the electronic device in the electric field formed by the passage of electric current between the conductors.

Car amplifiers that play large amounts of music with a heavy bass beat require a great deal of power. Each bass beat requires more power than the remainder of the music, and the car amplifier will attempt to draw that energy from the car battery if there is no capacitor. A car allocates power to other devices than the stereo, depending on the needs of operation. Switching on headlights, windshield wipers, or even turning up the air conditioner will take power needed for the stereo system. A car stereo that does not have a capacitor will cause the car's components to compete for the necessary power.

A car's headlights that dim each time a bass note sounds is a good indicator that the car needs a capacitor. There is only so much energy to go around, and when there is no capacitor to supplement the power supply, all components suffer. The capacitor stores power, and provides the power to the stereo. This allows the car to play bass notes on the stereo and have steady headlights at the same time. A car with a capacitor in the stereo will play music more clearly, as well as having strong power to all other components.