My voltage is dropping down to 12.4 at high volume this is off an 180 amp alt with three battery in the back (kinetik 2@2400 & 1@1400). The 12.4 is at the amp and my voltage at the front battery drops to about 12.9 & 13. Would i gain any dbs if i upgrade to a bigger alt? I have been thinking about upgrading for awhile now just wanting to know if I'll see any diffference to justifly the upgrade. I am running an audioque 3500d (the old one) @ 1 ohm.

@ idle?

You'll gain more power, lower voltage = more Amperage drain (Volts*amps[efficiency]=Watts)

Lets say you're voltage is at 13.4, and your amp can pull 300A (I know with sundown amplifiers the fuse rating is fairly accurate to gauge amperage draw, but not entirely sure on AQ amps) and lets just say your efficiency is 75% at 1 ohm. That would be 13.4 * 300 * .75 = 3 015, if we drop 1 volt you can lose 225w RMS. It can mean tenths on a meter, but to your ear; it'll probably mean nothing

But the biggest thing of all, It takes power to make power. Upgrading your alternator will be a great choice, you can never go wrong with more power. Your system is only as strong as your weakest link.

+1 for Julian

Well said, Julian!

OP: I've seen a lot of people say they noticed a large gain when swapping alts. This could just be mind tricks, but a higher voltage is always better if you think it's louder or not!

This is on idle. When i am driving it drops to around 12.8 to 13 at the amp and about 13.4 to 13.5 on the front battery. How about throwing in another battery? Would this help keep my voltage up? I just hate to add more weight to my car. Even at the voltage i have this amp is pretty much at its max, correct?

A bigger H/O Alternator may be better if you can get one, how often do you charge your secondary batteries?

A bigger H/O Alternator may be better if you can get one, how often do you charge your secondary batteries?

interested in how often they should charge them.

What do you mean by, how often do I charge the secondary batteries? They were charged before I installed them.

+1 for Julian

Well said, Julian!

OP: I've seen a lot of people say they noticed a large gain when swapping alts. This could just be mind tricks, but a higher voltage is always better if you think it's louder or not!

Thanks guys.

This is on idle. When i am driving it drops to around 12.8 to 13 at the amp and about 13.4 to 13.5 on the front battery. How about throwing in another battery? Would this help keep my voltage up? I just hate to add more weight to my car. Even at the voltage i have this amp is pretty much at its max, correct?

Well, first off i'd give a couple alternator companies a call such as DC power Engineering(), Irragi, Ohio Gen, Etc and see how much a HO alt would be, if it's only a little more expensive than a larger battery (say a d3100) I'd just go with the HO alternator instead.