Overview

AdPower is a Japanese company that manufactures and sells audio accessories applying static electricity elimination technology. Its flagship product, “AdPower Sonic,” is a sheet-like product applied to audio equipment, claiming to improve sound quality by suppressing static electricity. The company asserts as its basis that measurements commissioned to the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) showed an improvement in the Inter-aural Cross Correlation (IACC) value. The price range is from 6,990 JPY to 11,988 JPY, with recommended use on speakers, amplifiers, and musical instruments.

Scientific Validity

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The fundamental concept of sound quality improvement through static electricity elimination has a very weak scientific basis. In modern, properly designed audio equipment, the effect of static electricity on sound quality is well below the audible threshold. While the company cites IACC measurement results from AIST, a change in IACC may suggest a change in the spatial impression of sound, but it does not necessarily mean an improvement in sound fidelity. Lacking supporting measurement data, its effect is considered to be within the realm of a placebo.

Technology Level

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The core technology of the static elimination sheet is an application of existing technology, with no discernible originality or technological advancement in the audio field. Although the company promotes its research achievements with AIST and universities, the publicly available information does not allow for a judgment that this is groundbreaking technological development directly linked to improved measurement performance. The product lineup is limited to size variations, and technological innovation is stagnant. It remains a transfer of technology from other fields rather than development based on deep insight into audio-specific challenges.

Cost-Performance

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The same objective of static electricity removal as this product can be achieved by far cheaper means. For example, an antistatic spray like “AZ Static Prevention Spray 961” is available for about 398 JPY. Even when compared to AdPower’s cheapest product (6,990 JPY), the price difference is more than 17 times. This pricing is remarkably irrational for a product whose effects cannot be scientifically verified. The cost-performance is rated extremely low based on the following calculation: 398 JPY ÷ 6,990 JPY ≈ 0.057 Rounding this result, the score is 0.1.

Reliability & Support

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The product is a simple sheet, and the risk of physical failure is considered extremely low. A purchasing system is in place with sales on the official website and international shipping. However, in terms of support, the official website clearly states, “We do not accept returns or exchanges for customer convenience,” making returns impossible unless the product is defective. Considering that the effects may vary depending on the individual and environment, this policy is not consumer-friendly and falls below the industry average.

Rationality of Design Philosophy

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The core design philosophy of “sound quality improvement through static electricity elimination” is itself irrational from the perspective of modern audio engineering. Instead of improving measurable factors directly linked to fidelity, such as frequency response, distortion, and S/N ratio, it approaches a phenomenon with an unclear scientific causal relationship. This abandons objective performance improvement and appeals to the consumer’s subjectivity and expectations, placing it in the category of occult audio. Therefore, the rationality of its design philosophy is rated as nonexistent.

Advice

We do not recommend purchasing AdPower products. Even if you believe static electricity is an issue in your audio system, trying proper humidity control or grounding, which can be done for a few hundred yen, is a far more rational and economical first step. The budget for this product could be much more meaningfully invested in a DAC or cables with performance guaranteed by measurement data, or in sound-absorbing materials with clear acoustic improvement effects. It is crucial to select audio products based on scientific evidence and objective measurement data.

(2025.8.2)