Introduction
The word obsession brings to mind a number of different connotations.
An obsession that is properly channeled often results in very healthy and positive results. Here are some examples:
– An obsession for quality is what has driven many companies to make the best products in the world.
– An obsession with performance and excellence propels people such as olympic athletes and Formula 1 drivers to achieve incredible feats.
– An obsession to better understand our universe (and other possible universes) drives dedicated scientists to make new discoveries.
– An obsession with doing everything possible not to lose a patient drives top surgeons to save lives and invent new procedures.
– World renowned artists are driven by a healthy obsession to break barriers and expand horizons in the world of art.
Healthy obsession is what often drives human beings to extend boundaries, break barriers and achieve new heights.
Alon Wolf
From the moment I met Alon Wolf, I knew he was a man with a number of healthy obsessions and tremendous capabilities. He is a multifaceted individual with obsessions that span a number of different disciplines.
Alon is an excellent musician and an excellent photographer.
He is also an individual that clearly appreciates quality and tries to experience it in a variety of areas.
However, enjoying and being surrounded by quality is not enough for him. He has an uncontrollable need to make things better, so he also designs and manufactures some of the highest quality products in the world.
Music and Photography
In Alon we find one more time the connection between music and photography that seems so pervasive!
But in this case, the connection goes beyond someone who plays an instrument and is also a photographer.
Alon was a violinist as a kid and is an excellent classical guitar player today. He has been an avid audiophile for a long time. Not satisfied with what was available for him to buy, he decided to design and produce loudspeakers himself. Not just any loudspeakers; he had a goal to produce the most technologically advanced and highest quality speakers in the world.
Alon is the founder and CEO of Magico. Magico produces some of the finest loudspeakers in the world. His speakers are key components of many of the finest audio systems. The product line is extensive and is comprised of relatively small speakers that work very well in an average room, all the way up to very large extreme performance speakers that are installed in large homes, mansions, special dedicated rooms for avid audiophiles and presidential residences and palaces around the world.
There are lots of different tastes and technologies in loudspeaker systems. Therefore, some people may gravitate to other types of speaker systems that have a different sound signature. However, I believe that anyone who has heard a Magico speaker agrees that the company makes some of the very few loudspeakers that can truly fool a person into believing that they are listening to a live performance.
The design, fit and finish, the materials and the quality of construction of Magico loudspeakers is exquisite.
Magico is famous for pushing the envelope at the leading edge of the art. I do not know of any loudspeaker that is more advanced than the latest Magico models in terms of technology.
Any reasonable individual would conclude that Magico manufactures some of the best sounding and most technologically advanced loudspeakers in the world.
Magico’s main focus is in superb sound quality, top notch construction and beautiful designs. Cost is a secondary consideration. Like most products that are designed and produced under these parameters, Magico loudspeakers tend to be expensive, but the quality, longevity and the joy of ownership are very high.
Half the Startup Budget
When Alon was starting Magico, and against the advice of “expert” business people, he spent half of his available budget on Medium Format photography equipment. He owns several technical cameras with PhaseOne digital backs, as well as a variety of lenses and studio lighting equipment.
Why?
Please watch the video interview to find out.
The Power of Visual Impact
As you can see from the video, Alon understood what I call “the power of visual impact” and made it an integral part of his company from the beginning.
What does the power of visual impact mean?
Assuming that the concept and the composition of an image are good to begin with, when a person looks at an image that is properly executed using larger format equipment, the image has an impact that smaller formats do not provide. This is partially because of what I call “Hyper Reality”. Hyper Reality means that the resolution, tonality and dynamic range of the image exceeds the expectations of the brain by a margin large enough that the image “blows you away” and has a very significant impact on the viewer. It literally “rattles the brain”.
I experienced the power of visual impact for the first time when I saw my first 8×10 inch contact prints by Edward Weston (I had never seen large format photographs before).
Note: I have published several articles on this topic in the past and will most likely publish an updated version in PhotoAesthetics in the not too distant future.
Some companies use the power of visual impact and Hyper Reality with tremendous success. One of the better known examples that comes to mind is the Medium Format images of the Apple iPhone on their website and their ads. They have tremendous impact and give the product a very high quality feel even for people that have never seen the real thing.
Somehow, Alon intuitively knew that this type of imagery was going to make a significant difference in an enterprise dedicated to manufacturing world class products.
Free Time
Most of us have very little free time, but somehow there are people that seem to be able to utilize a very small portion of their time productively pursuing their passions.
I am grateful that Alon takes his Medium Format gear with him and photographs city landscapes in his limited free time. I am grateful because I very much enjoy his cityscapes. There is something quite special about them.
Conclusion
Music and photography seem to often go together. In the case of Alon Wolf, they also have to mate with the success of a commercial enterprise.
For Magico, visual aesthetics, extreme quality music reproduction and the power of visual impact are all key elements for success. Furthermore, an obsession with high quality is necessary to drive such an enterprise to broaden the boundaries of what is possible in the world of music reproduction.
All of this brings me back to ponder the power and beauty of well executed photography!
Your Thoughts