There are several types of batteries that work well in car stereo applications. We will try and describe them briefly here:

Standard Cycle: Your everyday battery, designed to release a large amount of currnet for a short period of time. You would use this type of battery to start your car. Another application where they work well in is large stereos. There downside is they do not like to be cycled. So if you play your tunes at the beach or other place without the car running, this is not the battery for you.

Deep Cycle: This is a battery designed for slow discharge rates over a long period of time. They do not take well to high current discharges, like starting your car, very well. But if you play your stereo without the car running, this is the battery for you.

Lead Acid: This is your typical everyday battery. It sucks when used in high output stereo applications as there is nothing in the space between the plates. So when you discharge them heavy the plates can warp, touch each other, and then cause tons of problems. They also do not like to be exposed to heavy bass beats either.

AGM: These are “Asborbed Glass Mat” batteries, companies such as M&K SVR, Optima, Exide Orbital, etc. are this type of battery. Inbetween the plates is a mat, which protects the plates from touching each other. This makes these batteries far more suited for car stereos.

Gell: These batteries have the plates in a gel almost like jello. They weren’t the best in high discharge applications when they first came out, but have gotten far better. They are now considered far superior to AGM’s, esspecially in deep cycle applications. This of course is reflected in their price.

Batcap: Xstatic Corp. took a unquie step when they created their Batcap line. Basically they took the AGM battery and replaced the thick plates with lead film. This created a “battery” with very low internal resistance, less than half of an AGM. This means it will release enrgy faster, and recharge quicker. Kind of a cross between a battery and a capacitor. The only downside to these is they do not have a large reserve capacity.

NiMH: These are new to most people. They have very low internal resistance, with a large reserve capacity. Kind of the best of both worlds. To date though there are no 12volt versions of this battery. However several smaller cells can be strung together to achieve what ever output voltage you would like.

Lithium Ion: A step up from Nimh batteries. These come in large cells, but are still required to be strung together to achieve 12volts. They are approxiamately half the weight and twice the power of comparable AGM batteries. But sit down before you look at the price on this type of battery. However, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for.

Capacitors: Batteries are actually just big capacitors. Stereo “caps” however are designed with very little internal resistance. They therefore release energy way faster than conventional batteries. They are used for keeping the voltage up when your bass amps hit. Their only downfall is they have virtually no reserve capacity, so they will only work in conjunction with another power source, either battery or alternator. They generally are not cheap either, but they do the trick

If you have any questions, or would like personal advice, please call us at 1-888-214-7774, we would be glad to help you wade through your options.