World's most amazing subwoofer has no woofer
Subwoofer designers usually stuff a big woofer in a box, but Eminent Technology's TRW-17 sub doesn't have a woofer or a box.
We all know subwoofers make bass. Big subwoofers, like the $799 Epik Empire, can sport massive 15-inch woofers and a Class D 600-watt power amplifier, all packaged in a 22x18x24-cabinet. The Empire's 120-pound weight might be a not-so-subtle indication that it's solidly built.
But Eminent Technology's TRW-17 Rotary Woofer ($12,900) doesn't have a cone-type woofer or a box or cabinet. No, the TRW-17 looks like a high-tech fan. And when you turn it on, the fan's blade spins just like a fan, but it's a bona-fide subwoofer. It produces deeper and more powerful bass than any conventional subwoofer I've ever heard. Everybody who hears the TRW-17 is shocked by its power to produce a truly visceral experience.
The TRW-17's fluttering blades generate bass frequencies down to 1 hertz (standard $1,000 subs poop out in the 30Hz range, and ultra high-end subs rarely make it below 18Hz.). The Eminent Technology Web site provides more information about how the blades produce bass.
The TRW-17 subwoofer is powerful enough to make an entire room throb with bass energy. TRW-17 installations are complex and can easily run to $25,000. For home audio, the TRW-17 is typically mounted in an attic, basement, or side room so the spinning blades are always out of reach of small children and pets.
Regular subs can't reproduce the 11Hz fundamental frequency of a helicopter rotor, the low-frequency rumble of wind, or the infrasonic shockwave from an explosion, but the TRW-17 can do all of these things. Very deep bass is as much felt as heard. Eminent Technology claims the TRW-17 is now being used in theme park attractions, concert venues, professional audio applications, and research projects.