BillFitzmaurice.info

Do you have any experience noting differences between CCA and copper speaker cables of the same gauge? Didn't even realize that so many of the speaker cables now are CCA until I started reading the fine print. Looking at 50ft 12ga speakon cables to power subs. Thanks

CCA are aluminum cables that are clad in copper, they have higher resistance per gauge, more prone to "Creep" under a connector, and much more likely to break under stress and bending.

Stay away!

CCA is OK, but you have to go up a gauge for the same DCR as copper. That adds bulk, but not weight, due to aluminum being lighter than copper.

So to keep the same DC resistance, if you normally would use 12 GA copper speaker wire you would require 10 GA Copper Clad Aluminum wire? Sounds more difficult to work into the Speak-On connector frankly. I don't know that I would bother.

I apologize for making a commercial plug here, but Monoprice.com is my go to source for speaker cables. They were tested head-to-head with the BIG brands and were found to be the only one that actually contained the correct gauge of wire in them. The price, with cheap speakons installed on them, is still less than any others if you include reterminating them with real speakons.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=8771

David Raehn wrote:I apologize for making a commercial plug here, but Monoprice.com is my go to source for speaker cables.

Mine is the local electrical supply store, even big boxes, that carry Type SJ wire 2 conductor or 4 conductor. Make sure it's not 2 or 4 conductor plus separate ground. Pure copper, very durable, and inexpensive.
http://www.awcwire.com/productspec.aspx ... le-cord-sj

Use this to be sure of what gauge you really need:
http://www.bcae1.com/images/swfs/speake ... istant.swf

The price of heavier gauge may not be that much more, but you don't want to be hauling more than you have to.