Subwoofer or electric fan?

(Credit: Eminent Technology)

If you're of a certain vintage, you may remember an old TV commercial and print ad campaign from Maxell that featured gale-force winds blowing from a stereo. That's the first thing that came to mind upon viewing this weird subwoofer from Eminent Technology.

The "Thigpen Rotary Woofer," which the company bills as "the world's first true infrasonic home audio or home theater woofer," looks more like an electric fan than a piece of audio equipment. Here's what the propeller supposedly does: "If you want to hear and feel the 4-5 hertz fundamental frequency from a helicopter rotor, the low frequency rumble of wind, the space of a concert hall or infrasonic information contained in an explosion, this is the only woofer technology available."

We'll just have to take their word for it, given the cost of ownership. Not only does it carry a list price of $12,900, but BornRich says that installation can cost twice as much as the woofer itself. And one of the models must be "professional installed in an attic or a basement." Enough already.