Mobile Electronics Cabling Standard (ANSI/CTA-2015 R-2017)

Three things you should know about cables: 1) the thicker the metal conductor in a cable is, the more power the cable can handle, all else being equal; 2) the longer a cable is the more power it will eat up as electricity travels through it, all else being equal; and 3) some metals carry electricity more efficiently than others. Copper is used in most wiring because it’s very inexpensive compared to silver and gold, which are also good conductors. Sometimes you’ll find other metals used in wiring, generally because they’re less expensive. Aluminum is a good example, it’s about one-third the cost of copper. While aluminum conducts electricity, it doesn’t do it as well as copper. ANSI/CTA-2015 was created for two reasons: to help people confirm that the wiring they’re purchasing is made with copper or another metal that performs as well; and to help people who want to connect ANSI/CTA-2006-rated amplifiers to ANSI/CTA-2031-rated loudspeakers choose the proper cable sizes to get the most out of their systems.