As the saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Many of us want the best listening experience possible, so we turn to gadgets that promise to make sound better. So, when a brand told us that there are ‘power filters’ that can get rid of electrical noise and make audio clearer, a lot of us got curious.
But not everything a manufacturer claims is always true.
Enter Linus Sebastian and his team at Linus Tech Tips.
Through tests done in 2020 and 2023, they found that these “power filters” not only fail to deliver on their promises but may actually make audio quality and system performance worse.
Here’s what happened.
Elfidelity’s PC Power Filters and Claims
Elfidelity offers a range of affordable ‘power filtering devices’ for various PC components, with price tags ranging from a mere $10 to $40.
These products claim to be the holy grail of PC audio, promising to remove interference, reduce electrical noise, and even make your system more stable.
But that’s not all. Elfidelity also says their devices can help with CPU and memory overclocking, make hard drives last longer, and protect against power drops.
We’ve all dealt with annoying electrical noise that turns our dreams of clear audio into a buzzing, static-filled mess. It’s enough to drive any gamer, content creator, or fellow audiophile up the wall.
Elfidelity’s products promise an easy and cheap fix for these common issues.
The company also talks about using high-quality parts, including special capacitors.
So, for many PC enthusiasts, especially those relying on onboard audio solutions, the appeal was undeniable. This idea of a simple plug-in device solving such problems sounded like a great alternatives to expensive upgrades like fancy sound cards or external DACs.
Putting the Claims to the Test
Linus Sebastian and his team tested Elfidelity’s claims using their Star Forge PC and professional audio gear.
The first red flag? The device’s internal circuitry was a far cry from what was advertised.
The circuit board paths weren’t arranged in a way that could actually filter or process signals. Some paths did nothing useful, while others weren’t connected to anything at all.
But, the team still proceeded with their tests.
They recorded the noise floor of the PC’s audio output under various conditions. One was when idle and another under stress. And, they did both with and without the Elfidelity filters installed.
The results were shocking. Not only did the filters fail to reduce noise as claimed, but in many cases, they actually increased it.
“I thought at best these wouldn’t do anything, but I also thought that at worst, they wouldn’t do anything,” said Linus during the test.
“How did they manage to make the performance worse?”
Unintended Consequences
Based on the test, most of Elfidelity’s products were about as impactful as a screen door on a submarine. But, the team also found some ways that the device can actually negatively affect the PC’s performance.
For one, the fan filters managed to slightly reduce fan speeds. This might not sound like much, but over time, it could make your system run hotter than it should.
But here’s where it gets really dicey.
The extra capacitance from these devices could potentially mess up the carefully balanced power delivery systems in modern motherboards.
The tests also raised specific issues with the DDR4 module, a power filter meant to fit into a memory slot. Sebastian explained that using capacitors and inductors to reduce noise in devices that require a lot of power makes sense.
But applying this to a DDR4 memory slot doesn’t. This is because the DDR4 slot doesn’t draw enough power to need such filtering, making the module unnecessary.
According to Linus, Elfidelity sold a similar ineffective product before, raising concerns about why they continue to sell such devices.
Plus, further digging showed that some of the capacitors used in the Elfidelity products appear to be counterfeit.
For example, the Rubycon capacitors on the SATA filter looked about as real as a three-dollar bill. Sebastian noticed the poor printing quality on the labels, which doesn’t match genuine Rubycon products.
They also found that Elfidelity’s products seem to be copies of filters made by a Korean company called SOtM, which even makes an audio-focused motherboard.
The Dangers of Snake Oil in Audio
The Elfidelity issue shows a ongoing problem in the audiophile world: the spread of fake scientific products that take advantage of consumers’ desire for better sound quality.
These “snake oil” solutions often come with scientific-sounding explanations and good user reviews, making it hard for the average buyer to tell fact from fiction.
“I hope that people aren’t buying this. But the fact that these guys are still around all these years later, still selling this stuff, would indicate to me that someone is buying it.” said Linus.
“I don’t want this video to be about mocking people for buying this stuff. I want it to be about educating them.”
The best way to avoid this is to really spend some time educating yourself on something before you buy it.
For example, modern motherboards are already pretty good at handling audio. They already have capacitors designed to filter noise for internal audio.
As Linus noted, the 850-watt EVGA G6 power supply used in their test system might already be too good to see any extra filtering benefits.
So, most people don’t really need such devices.
If you want to still improve your listening experience, however, you can’t go wrong by buying good headphones, external DACs (Digital-to-Analog Converters), amplifiers, or even a better power supply.
But, if you’re on a budget and still want better sound, external audio interfaces are a good way to improve audio quality without falling into the snake oil trap.