Audio manufacturers around the globe are waging an unseen battle. Most people have no idea that the war is going on, much less who is winning. You see, a significant percentage of the cost of the electronics and loudspeakers we enjoy and, particularly the wiring that interconnects them, is linked to the price of copper.
Since 2004, the price of raw copper has more than doubled and manufacturers have been fighting to keep the cost of products low, as one must do in a highly competitive marketplace. Although the price of raw copper has a direct affect on amplifiers (PCBs have copper traces and copper windings in transformers) and loudspeakers (most voice coils are copper), no category of car audio has been as directly affected as cable and wire. You may have noticed that a quality "amp kit" that used to sell for $49.95 just a few years ago is now $99.95 or more. This increase is directly attributable to the amount of copper in those products and the rising cost of the raw material.
In an effort to reduce "sticker shock" for those shopping for amp kits, several manufacturers began producing a different kind of wire as a more cost-conscious alternative. The new wire isn't really new; it was used occasionally in past automotive applications. But high prices make for innovation and now we have "Copper-Clad Aluminum" (CCA) wire that costs about half the price of pure copper cables. While this can be a great alternative to expensive copper, it can also lead to problems if misapplied and its limitations aren't fully understood. Here is how to find out if it's right for your system.
Description
CCA wire is an aluminum wire or many strands of aluminum wire coated with a very thin layer of copper. In practice, the "copper-clad" part of the nomenclature is mainly there to assuage potential buyers' doubts, as the amount of copper used is inconsequential to the actual performance.
The construction and gauge sizes of CCA wire are the same as copper wire. The strand size and count can differ just like various qualities of copper wire, as will the flexibility of the conductor. The insulating material is the same PVC or silicone-based material found on copper wire.
The big difference between pure copper wire and CCA wire is resistance. If you look up the conductivity of common metals used as electrical conductors, some facts might surprise you..