10 Feb Introducing Carbide Base Sapphire
Introducing Carbide Base Sapphire – a continuation of our research into ball bearing vibration isolators for audio. The new Sapphire version sits between the standard and Diamond versions of the Carbide Base audio footer in the product lineup.
The Sapphire version of the Carbide Base footer differs from the standard version by the addition of the Sapphire Insert in the top center of the footer. The Sapphire Insert is a ball bearing vibration isolator which provides additional filtering of low-level and low-frequency noise.
The Sapphire Insert functions similar to the Diamond Insert used on Carbide Base Diamond. The difference is that the Sapphire Insert does not utilize our TwinDamp™ material and that the bearing raceways are made from a different material.
The raceways used in the Sapphire Insert are formed from a high-carbon steel which is hardened through heat treatment. After a rigorous 8 stages of polishing, the raceways are then coated with a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) PVD coating combined with a special alloy. The raceways are then cryogenically tempered to relieve internal stresses and improve toughness.
The result is an exceptionally hard, smooth, and low friction bearing rolling surface which is surpassed only by the PVD Diamond coated ceramic raceways in the Diamond version.
