Intro:-
Yo yo… Back again with Rockjaw Audio Alfa genus V2. Rockjaw is not an unknown brand by any means, famous for their value for money earphones and are one of the few British brands in this business.
Alfa Venus has been one of their best selling earphones and it has its own specialty. Itcomes with 3 changeable tuning nozzles, really easy to remove and install. Silver color nozzles boost bass, Brass color has natural presentation and black ones are for comparatively more pronounced high end sparkle.
Alfa Genus V2 is targeted towards youth and enthusiasts looking for different type of tuning for their varying music preferences ( someone like me, who dose enjoy bass every now and then but is not a fan most of the time) or for those who like listening to verity of genres. And the good part is that its priced nicely around 44 Euros and 4999 inr here in India making it one of the most exciting offerings around $75 and for those who want MIC there is a MIC version too for just 1 more euro.
You can grab one for yourself from these links.
https://rockjawaudio.com/products/brand-new-alfa-genus-v2
https://www.headphonezone.in/products/rock-jaw-audio-alfa-genus-v2
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Genus-Earphones-Line-Tuning-Filters/dp/B015N95BAQ
I have never came across an Alfa Genus V1, so I really cant say how it compares against the first version but what I have with me are some of the heavy weights to compare, those who are the ones to beat in this price range and in my possession, IM-70, VSD5 and the all new Hisound HA2!! ( HA2 is slightly over priced at $100)
P.S. I would like to thank Joe From Rockjaw for this review unit. (and Clarito inbound!!)
WHATS IN THE BOX and Miscellaneous:-
Alfa Genus V2 ( will call it V2 onwards) comes in a nice looking small black with blue accent cardboard box. You can see the earphone from the transparent windows on both sides of the package. What we have here are plenty of ear tips, two pairs of foam tips, three pair of red core silicone tips in S/M/L sizes and a pair of biflange tips. There is a cable clip and yes yes!! Two pair of tuning nozzles are stuffed on the foam. Sliver one being pre installed. There is a carry pouch, draw string carry pouch, I would have liked a hard carry case but yeah.. It's just fine.
Its build is all metal, lightweight aluminum to be precise, black body with silvery accent at back and front, a air vent on the back completes the body. Nicely stress relieved with metal support at the earpiece end and good rubbery one at the jack end. Stress relievers on the earpiece end have clear L/R marking.
Ergonomics is as good as any other straight barrel earphone, you can wear these over your ears too. Isolation is really nice with foam tips and good with silicon tips, I will recommend foam tips as they don’t slip out.
This cable is one of the best I have seen on an earphone, not heavy at all, low on Microphonics, not bouncy, really thick for an earphone and look really strong, one need not to worry about tangling either. The Y splitter is low profile too. And 90 degree jack just makes things even sweeter. Happy happy!!
To sum things up. it’s a nicely built earphone, some thoughts went in for this for sure. It's not a looker but looks classy and strong for sure.
Remote:- (
Now this one does comes with a MIC version too, but mine doesn’t have one. But being a single button remote leads me to believe that it’s a typical single button with usual functions.
The single button should pick calls, end calls, play and stops music when not in call, skip ahead with a double tap and should go back with 3 clicks.
Sound Quality:-
V2 is on the warmer side for sure, doesn’t matter what nozzle you are using. Things rarely change for mid range. All in all the signature is mostly bass and slightly dark.
V2 is burned for more than 80 hrs and I am using foam tips out of the box.
Here are some tracks that I sued for this review.
James blunt – 1973(my fav track),
Adele - set fire to the rain,
Paul lindford and Chris vrenna – most wanted mash up.
Plan-B – playing with fire.
Coldplay – Another’s arms,
Jessie J- sweet talker,
Raury- all we need (feat. adia)
The Avener – Castle in the snow (feat. Kadebostany)
Tinie Tempah- wonderman feat Ellie Goulding,
George Barnett- super hero in a ball and Down on me (this guy knows what he is doing).
Breaking Benjamin- Who wants to live forever (Queens Cover, new mix).
Lupe Fiasco- Adoration of the magi Feat. Crystal Torres
John Newman and Calvin Harris – blame.
Imagine dragons – Roots, Amsterdam.
General sound assessment
Filter wise!!)We will start with..
Bass/Silver filter:-
V2 as I said earlier is on the bassier side but it doesn’t over do things by much. Decay is not exactly fast with silver nozzle but it’s the one which releases the full potential of V2's bass prowess, bass goes deep, full bodied with good extension, goes booommm whenever it can and moves plenty of air. It does give me that 30-40hz vibration effect that some bassy headphones have. Now I must make it clear that with silver/bass filter/nozzles bass takes over as the main driving force. Its slightly mid bassy but just slightly. Moves really good amount of air and has a nice thump, it doesn't hit like a HA-fx40, which hits like a brick at times, V2 has a slightly softer slam. Silver filter does picks up most of the details but gives up accuracy and precision.
Mids are not exactly leveled but vocals does get up to some respectable levels, some instruments does feel less emphasized. Male and female vocals sound really organic and thick, let it be Adele Jessie j or James blunt they all sound slightly thicker and closer to real than HA2 which makes them sound bit sharper and more concentrated. Now I have to admit that vocals on V2 are as enjoyable as any other earphone in this price range, I don’t find them exactly detailed with instruments as they don’t bloom, revel themselves or cut like they do with VSD5 or HA2. It's still a nice showing though and you will find most of the instruments doing their bit if you pay attention.
Highs are not exactly deep into the spectrum but they are okay, tuned down to make things smooth and fatigue free i guess, nothing that puts me off but its not the type that excites me. Instruments are there but they won't bite, they won't show their true color.
Separation is a bit less defined compared to VSD5 and HA2, layering is okay.
Sound stage is really tall with average depth and acceptable width.
To sum up the bass/silver filter, It's about low end grunt and a bass head will like this for sure. Mixed with good sub bass and mid bass rumble it’s a nice little bass power house.
P.S. Here on we will talk about changes brought by other filters.
Brass/natural Filter:-
These filter takes a good step in keeping the bass in check. Still the decay is not as good as something like VSD5. Still there is good amount of air, boom and slam, not as big as silver filter but the slam is harder with similar extension. Shows better control and details. Oh and another thing is it doesn't gave the vibration effect anymore.
sadly the harder slam makes things a bit difficult for me as it induces fatigue.
Mid range gets some of their details back too, vocals sound more natural with marginally lesser thickness, instruments does show up with a little less efort from listener. Layering and separation are marginally better too.
Highs are a bit more present, I still cant say that they extend further but they are more pronounced this time with good presence.
Stage loses some of its height, everything else is same.
This filter is about middling things out.
Black/Treble Filter:-
I prefer this filter, no prizes for guessing ( maybe in future I might give away some earphones, lets see, not now). Bass is nicely controlled as it loses most of its rumble and boominess which leads to better decay, it still hits with decent slam, moves good amount of air but don’t raise its head higher than required. Exhibits good amount of control and precision with better details.
Mid range rules with this filter. Females vocals sounds really nice and male vocals sounds more focused with better depth. Still sounds more organic and full bodied compared to VSD5 and HA2. Instruments does revel themselves easily and takes least amount of effort for the listener to pick up these details. Still lacks some micro detailing but its far better than other filters. In other words it sounds clearer.
Now with this filter I can say that highs are slightly extended and shows really nice sharpness for a change, they pounce and bite for a change, not as good as Titan-1 but its acceptable. Separation and layering is considerably better thanks to the increase in clarity.
Stage is nicely rounded, it doesn't get much taller but depth is better.
Still not close to the sharpness of VSD5 of HA2, And for details seekers things doesn’t get better than this with V2.
This filter is about giving the mids and highs a better projection.
Conclusion:-
Now now V2 cannot be taken lightly, specially with its variable tuning attributes it can be a bass head's delight and a more detailed and controlled camper with just a few twists of filter.
This earphone is targeted towards the bass loving youth who loves the bass pounding, vocals doing their bit with a fatigue free signature that they can enjoy for extended period of time.
Now the looks is nothing one should fault but it's not as fleshy or as showy as some other earphones but it’s a nicely put classy looking one, with really good build and nicely accessorized too.
All in all the tuning is bass biased, it never loses its slam and air.
And I will recommend it to anyone who enjoys some bass with their music(black filters) and occasionally enjoy some pounding too.
That’s it from me on this Beautiful earphone from Rockjaw audio.
Enjoy!! have a nice day!! Cheers!!
