what battery is less expensive than xs but still decent

[Nathan @ XSpower]

There are many AGM batteries out there to choose from. The thing to keep in mind when making your decision is that all AGM batteries are not designed for high amperage discharge. There are some AGM batteries that work perfect for providing low amperage discharge for extended periods of time, but these batteries will not perform well in a car audio application. Car audio needs high amperage discharge instantaneously and this is why AH, CCA, and CA test mean nothing for car audio. If you are running flood lights then by all means look at the AH rating of batteries, but for car audio it is useless.

What makes some AGM batteries better for high amp discharge? Well its the same reason we upgrade to 0gauge wire and use as many runs of 0gauge as we can fit. The more surface area you have the better and more efficient the current can flow. This not only includes the size of plates in the battery, number of plates in the battery, but also the design of the battery moving the power from the plates to the battery pads (+ - terminal locations on the battery).

Its basically the same idea as getting your power from your battery/alt to your amp. You can have a ton of power available in the battery and alt, but if you have 16gauge wire for that power to run through then you are limiting the power to the amp. Some companies design their batteries with very small connections going from the battery plates to the battery pads (+ and -), which limits the battery's ability to discharge high amperage quickly. This cuts costs for the company, but also cuts the performance of the battery as far as car audio goes. These batteries would be fine to supply low amperage draws for extended periods of time though, and that is what the battery is actually designed for. The problem is that some battery companies that market their batteries toward car audio applications design their batteries like this, and try to use a lot of marketing $$$ to make up for their poor performance.

Some companies also use smaller plates in their batteries. The battery may be 10" tall, but the plates are only 6" tall. This is cutting the possible surface area by 4",which in turn decreases the batteries performance. The more surface area you have the more power the battery is able to produce for longer periods of time. This also cuts the cost of manufacturing the battery, because the less lead that is in the battery the cheaper it is to manufacture. The more lead that is in the battery the more power you will have, but also the cost of manufacturing goes up because lead is the main cost factor in batteries.

I hope this helps explain the differences in batteries a little. Some are designed for high output and others are designed for low output. Both types will work fine if they are used in the correct application.

[ChampN252]

Good read, I know you're repping XS, but do you personal know of other batteries well built? I've heard Kinetic are at the bottom of the chain as a car audio batt.