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CARBIDE AUDIO NEWS

23 Oct

Posted at 21:03h in Press Release

Now offering optional spikes for our Carbide Base footer machined from our TwinDamp™ material.

 

TwinDamp™ is based on a manganese-copper twin crystal alloy which has a damping capacity higher than magnesium and 10x that of copper. It has a loss factor similar rubber but in a rigid metal form.

 

We then perform multiple temperature treatments utilizing our high temperature furnace and cryogenic freezer over a 2-day period to further improve sonic character. Read more about the performance benefits of TwinDamp™ in our Measurements section.

19 Oct

Posted at 13:52h in Press Release

All of our products are designed and manufactured in our company headquarters in Texas. Below is a video showing various stages of machining of our Carbide Base footer in our CNC machine shop.

CNC machining of the stainless steel lower section of the Carbide Base footer.

12 Sep

Posted at 17:14h in Press Release

Dawid Grzyb at HiFi Knights out of Poland has published a comprehensive review of the Diamond version of our Carbide Base footers. Dawid writes on his listening experiences using the footers under his preamp:

 

Elevated O2 content, increased imaging size, wider dynamic range and sensible instrumental/vocal closeness were uniformly positive changes rather than shifts to the side.

 

You can read the complete review on the HiFi Knights website: http://hifiknights.com/reviews/accessories/carbide-base-diamond/

06 Aug

Posted at 09:24h in Press Release

Introducing the Diamond Insert for the Carbide Base audio equipment footer. The Diamond Insert is an additional vibration isolator inserted into the top of the Carbide Base footer to bring further improvements in low level music detail. Culminating over a year of research and development, it represents the pinnacle of our expertise in passive vibration control for audio.

 

The new Diamond Insert features large zirconia bearings riding in bearing raceways machined out of solid ceramic – an industry first. The raceways are then thoroughly polished and coated with amorphous diamond using a special Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) process.

The Diamond Insert vibrating at 10 Hz. The footer achieves near total isolation from 10 Hz and above thanks to a low natural resonance frequency and the PVD Diamond coated ceramic bearing raceways.

Transmission Path Evasion

The extremely hard bearing raceways resist indentation from the bearings better than other previous designs using softer materials such as steel and titanium. Avoiding raceway indentation defects allows the bearings to better dissipate vibrations via the concept of vibration Transmission Path Evasion.

 

The result is a further lowering of the already exceptionally low noise floor of the Carbide Base footer.

TwinDamp™ Alloy

TwinDamp™

The Diamond Insert also incorporates our new TwinDamp™ material based on a manganese-copper twin crystal metal alloy. Manganese-copper alloys have over 10 times the damping capacity of copper. Multiple stages of temperature treatments are performed in-house to further enhance the damping properties of this exotic alloy.

 

TwinDamp™ is utilized in the top center threaded hole and above each of the ceramic bearing raceways for effective damping of vibrations passing through the footer.

Upgradeable

The Evo version standard Carbide Base footer can be upgraded to the Diamond version by purchasing the Diamond Insert. The upgrade is accomplished by unscrewing and replacing only the top center section of the footer. The original Carbide Base footer with the felt top cannot be upgraded to the Diamond version.

21 Feb

Posted at 19:43h in Press Release

Carbide Audio introduces the new Evo update to the Carbide Base audio footer. Far from a simple evolution, every part except for the internal ViscoRing™ was redesigned to further enhance vibration control performance.

 

Improved Coupling

Improved coupling better allows low amplitude vibrations to pass into the device to be dissipated as heat. The following changes were made to improve coupling:

  • A new austenitic (i.e. non-magnetic) stainless steel section was inserted into the top center upper housing of the footer. The high hardness and inherent damping ability of steel provides an ideal platform for supporting equipment.

 

  • A ridge was machined into the top section’s perimeter to reduce the surface area that contacts the underside of equipment. Behind the point of a spike tip, the line of a ridge provides the next best coupling interface with the added benefit of improved stability. Spikes are still included to facilitate directing one spike upward for maximum engagement to the bottom of equipment.

 

  • A larger ridge was machined into the perimeter of the footer’s bottom surface to sufficiently distribute the load for use on hardwood floors.

Updated Lower Isolation Stage

Updates to the lower ball bearing isolation stage better allow small horizontal footer movements in response to low amplitude vibrations – a critical component for the isolation of micro vibrations. The following changes to were made to the lower isolation stage:

  • Twice as many viscoelastic elements are utilized to further improve horizontal damping.

 

  • The zirconia ball bearings utilized in the lower section are 50% larger in diameter. This minimizes indentation of the flat hardened steel bearing raceways which the bearings roll on, thereby reducing rolling resistance.

Progressive Shape Factor

Our patent pending Progressive Shape Factor technology has further evolved. As the ViscoRing™ bulges under compression, ridges within the housing progressively brace the bulging surfaces more gradually as the load initially increases. This results in better isolation performance when supporting equipment on the lightweight end of the weight range for a given ViscoRing™.

 

While performance in the critical bass and midrange frequencies is similar, the high frequency performance has improved with the updated Evo version.

Spikes

Carbide Base – Evo Version

Horizontal vibration energy transmitted from a 2-way loudspeaker into a 13.6 kg (30 lbs.) weighted aluminum plate placed on top of the loudspeaker. Measurements were taken with the plate on 4 floor spikes and then with the plate on 4 of the Evo version of the Carbide Base footers. Super Light ViscoRings™ were used. Horizontal acceleration was measured with a ACH-01 sensor, 10 dB gain, using 30 Hz to 10 kHz log swept sine excitation.

07 Feb

Posted at 19:59h in Press Release

A new green Super Light ViscoRing™ is now available. It incorporates a new softer viscoelastic material intended for very light equipment weighing less than 13 kg (30 lbs) when using 4 footers. Damping performance is improved an additional 22% over the already highly damped existing Light ViscoRing™. 

 

Our patent pending use of low shape factor viscoelastic materials combined with the extreme loss factor of the new Super Light ViscoRing™ attains a new benchmark for noise dissipation performance among audio footers.

23 May

Posted at 16:29h in Press Release

Llano, TX – Carbide Audio has released an updated version of their Carbide Base footer incorporating a new way of mounting to equipment and speakers called Universal Stud System.

 

The Universal Stud System utilizes standard flat head machine screws rather than the proprietary step studs used by the competition. Most screw thread sizes between #8-32 / M4 and 1/2″-13 / M10 can be used in virtually any length depending on need. A Bolt Kit is available containing screws for 8 footers in common metric or imperial sizes. The Universal Stud System works by passing the desired machine screw up through the bottom center of the Carbide Base footer. A tapered bore keeps the screw centered and a removable polymer insert is included for use with smaller diameter threads. The screw can be threaded directly into the equipment using the supplied screw driver. Alternatively, the supplied machined stainless steel jam screw can be screwed in behind the screw to secure it in place.

 

Need a different size thread or a different length? Simply replace the screw with another ANSI B18.6.3 standard flat head machine screw in the desired thread size and length. No need to purchase costly proprietary step studs in order to mount footers to your equipment. Alternatively, the jam bolt can be removed to provide a cavity to captively hold a floor spike from a speaker.

 

The upper portion utilizes more robust selective bracing of the ViscoRing™ to achieve the desired progressive increase in spring rate without the need of an additional viscoelastic pad. The result is superior isolation performance towards the higher end of the weight range for each ViscoRing™.

Additionally, the lower portion of the Carbide Base footer has been optimized to reduce the total height of the footer by 13% or 8.2 mm (0.33 in). The range of height adjustment has been also been increased by 280% allowing adjustment from a minimum height of 59 mm (2.2 in) to a maximum of 74 mm (2.9 in). The additional height adjustment can aid not just in leveling of equipment, but also for adjusting rake angle or tweeter level height when utilized under loudspeakers.

A new red Super Heavy ViscoRing™ has been added with an effective supporting weight of 453 kg (1000 lbs) when used as a set of 4. The Super Heavy utilizes a stiffer formulation more ideal for use under heavy racks or extremely large speakers.

 

A single spike can also optionally be threaded into the top of the jam bolt. With this upward facing configuration the spike can directly contact the under side of equipment to improve coupling.