The Corsi-Rosenthal Box is a build-it-yourself air purifier. The original design was drafted by engineers Richard Corsi and Jim Rosenthal during the COVID-19 pandemic and is pretty basic, consisting only of four furnace filters duct-taped together and supporting a large box fan. Overall performance and feature sets can vary depending on what components you use. However, as long as you stick to using high-quality filters and a relatively potent box fan, your own build will return broadly similar results. We built our own Corsi-Rosenthal box using this guide.
Our Verdict
Our Corsi-Rosenthal Box is a good fit for pet owners. While it's exceedingly noisy and will likely be a source of anxiety for animals that are particularly sensitive to loud noises, it also does a fantastic job of trapping a variety of particle sizes, including pet dander.
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Superb overall particle filtration performance.
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Very high clean air delivery rate.
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Very noisy.
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No smart functionality or sleep mode.
A Corsi-Rosenthal Box might not be the best choice for use in bedrooms. Depending on your filters and fan, these can be large, ugly, and very noisy machines. They do a fantastic job of trapping most airborne particles and are highly effective in larger spaces.
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Superb overall particle filtration performance.
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Very high clean air delivery rate.
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Very noisy.
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No smart functionality or sleep mode.
-
Superb overall particle filtration performance.
-
Very high clean air delivery rate.
-
Very noisy.
-
No smart functionality or sleep mode.
-
Superb overall particle filtration performance.
-
Very high clean air delivery rate.
-
Very noisy.
-
No smart functionality or sleep mode.
- 7.7 Pets
- 4.3 Bedroom
Performance Usages
- 9.5 Particle Filtration Rate
- 8.8 Particle Concentration
Changelog
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Updated Mar 07, 2025:
We corrected the link to the guide to construct the Corsi-Rosenthal Box.
- Updated Oct 31, 2024: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.1.
- Updated May 13, 2024: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
Since this is a build-it-yourself device, overall performance can differ depending on component choice. It's worth noting that we tested a single-filter variation of the Corsi-Rosenthal Box, and it returned a drastically different overall performance.
Compared To Other Air Purifiers
It can be difficult to compare a Corsi-Rosenthal Box to most commercially available alternatives out there; as we determined in our research and development process, this homemade solution is very effective when it comes to particle filtration specifically because it doesn't have to follow the trends that dictate normal air purifier design, like size, noise, and even aesthetics. If you plan on using a Corsi-Rosenthal Box in an area where none of those things are a significant factor, it's certainly worth building your own.
Test Results
The Lasko 20-inch box fan in our Corsi-Rosenthal box has a three-level fan speed adjustment dial.
Our Corsi-Rosenthal Box's filter system consists of four 3M Filtrete 20x25x1 MPR 1900 Premium Allergen, Bacteria & Virus Smart Air Filters. These filters have an estimated lifespan of three months when used in a home furnace, air conditioning, or HVAC system; their lifespan in an air purifier will fall within a similar ballpark, depending on how often you run it. You can get a pack of four here.
Comments
Corsi-Rosenthal Box: Main Discussion
Let us know why you want us to review the product here, or encourage others to vote for this product.
- 32120
Heya gang,
I think you might want to update your review to include a recommendation not to buy these headphones
Many users including myself have had one or more of the headphones batteries fail to the point they can last less than 10 minutes.
Sony has essentially left us hung out to dry on the issue, the reviews are all over the ain’t website and Reddit saying DO NOT BUY, DO NOT BUY!!!!
I read through and can’t seem to see any mention of this issue, even in the battery section where they should score a 2 at best!
- 21010
After firmware update: Rapid drain of battery and now the right (or left for others) won’t charge. 1 yr 6 months ownership. I was hoping that rtings will start a retrospective evaluation of products that are not reliable. Sony is acting like nothing is going one. Meanwhile multiple people are having this issue. Just google Link Buds S Battery Drain. Apparently it’s a firmware and voltage issue that did not play nice together. If you do get someone to repair them. make sure that they put in a 3.85 volage not lower battery.
Hi rgor,
We’ll take a look at our unit and check if we can replicate this issue! We’ll add a note of this to our review since it’s been reported to be a common issue with current users.
Thanks, Matt
- 21010
After firmware update: Rapid drain of battery and now the right (or left for others) won’t charge. 1 yr 6 months ownership. I was hoping that rtings will start a retrospective evaluation of products that are not reliable. Sony is acting like nothing is going one. Meanwhile multiple people are having this issue. Just google Link Buds S Battery Drain. Apparently it’s a firmware and voltage issue that did not play nice together. If you do get someone to repair them. make sure that they put in a 3.85 volage not lower battery.
Edited 5 months ago: fixed dry with drain. Update: We mentioned the Beats Solo Buds True Wireless in the App Support section.
- 21010
Be careful - these earphones don’t have ANC when you’re talking on the phone. And what’s more, when you’re talking on the phone, they switch to semi-passthrough mode, which means you hear yourself and all the other sounds around you, plus some white noise is played in the background. You can’t change this behaviour. So it’s super annoying and you can’t really talk in the office or in crowded places.
Update: We’ve updated the Sound Profile box in this review to note that we’ve retested these headphones due to reports online of them making crackling or popping sounds while on audio calls. We encountered no such issues during the retest.