So is that it? Post an honest review which isn't to someone's liking and your review is deleted, and you get muted? Is that how Head-fi works? Placing sponsorship over content? Once again, I'm as disappointed with the forum as I am with these.
Actually - it's got little to do with that. To be honest - first time poster, who posted an absolute rant, which is completely contrary to most other opinions ...... if I was a mod, I'd do exactly the same thing.
1st post to write the truth. Sorry my opinions aren't to your liking. No, wait. I'm not sorry. They're my opinions. Please respect that (just like Voxie can). I joined as I'm disgusted by these and felt others should know as I now don't believe any review which states otherwise. (Maybe my username gives that away?) I could easily have added the review to one of my sites or any other site though.
I noticed you edited you post. Respect goes both ways. You have one instance of an issue. Did you apprach RockJaw before blasting away like that? Did you give them a chance to make right on their product? You mention the truth - it might be your version of what heappened to you - but you automatically assume it applies to the rest of us. That is a big step to make.
I defy anyone used to premium quality to honestly state these fall into that category. I'm not a youngster and I've played the audio field enough and worked in enough studios to know these are nowhere near "reference" and feel sorry for anyone who believes they are. My hearing has always amazed audiologists both in terms of frequency response and amplitude response and has left them shaking their heads in disbelief. For that, I feel blessed as music has always been my little get-away, my sanctuary. So, good music reproduction is important to me.
Check my profile. Based on the Alfa Genus I received (and still have for that matter), given the cost. they still rate for me as being very good IEMs. I have a lot of experience with different IEMs, different sources etc. You disagree - fine.
It does not mean that I and others are wrong
My first pair to blow me away were a pair of large Sennheiser open's which were amazing, great low end, clear middle, and sparkly top end. I was amazed again years later after playing the earphones field with the CX 400 ii's. And when they finally died after 4 years, I wanted another pair but didn't want to buy the CX 3.00's.
The CX 400 ii's material quality alone feel premium, the sturdy connector which you could probably hang a body on, the thick quality cable, the thick quality ear bud materials and even though I'm not a fan of it, the volume selector consists of sturdy plastic. Then there's the audio quality of them, totally amazing. I could hear things that I'd never heard before in recordings. Everything sounded so natural, and the music sounded as if it were performing infront / around me. The bass moves you and the top sparkles. Acoustic guitars sounded and resonated like acoustic guitars. They cost £40 too, so a direct comparison.
These RJ's sound just like music coming out of little coffee polysterene pots in your ears. No stereo location, no clarity, a harsh over-powering sharp high middle which tire your ears.
I am not going to fiddle / play / modify them. I don't expect to. I expected "high quality" / "premium quality" as stated on the website and product description / part of which includes a great sound. These do not come close. Even if they sounded like the dog's dangly bits, the build quality is sufficiently lacking to render them avoidable.
If you think these are great, please do look around at well-known competitors. I promise you, you'll be amazed.
Why has my review been removed? Are you in cohoots with RJ? Have they paid you off? Now That is "hmmm".
Funnily enough - look at the CX400ii reviews on Amazon. Compare them to the ones of the A-G. CX400ii, 42 reviews, 57% 4/5 star, 10% 3 star, 33% negative. A-G 8 reviews, 88% 4/5 star, 12% 3 star. None negative.
I honestly think (from your comments) that you may have received a bad pair. It happens - that is why there is warranty. But I still cannot fathom the depth of your vitriol. Why are you throwing your toys out of the cot?
As far as your review being removed - I'll cover my POV below.
Review:
I have a pair of these.
TL;DR; Avoid. AVOID THESE. AVOID ROCK JAW. It's managed by a former bedroom company boy who used to sell tablets and has been boasting that sales jumped when he moved into the audio world. Clearly, there is such a huge markup on these because there's no quality in them. Look elsewhere for your audio needs.
Direct personal attack that has no bearing on anything - and is the main reason I flagged your original post. It also says to me that you have an axe to grind. And it therefore gives your "review" zero creedance.
These are the lowest quality pair of earphones I have ever owned, and I draw that conclusion from a cheap pair of Creative's I once bought, a fake pair of CX 400 ii's, Sennheiser open backs and yes, even those little headphones you can buy for £2.99.
The build quality is bad, using ONLY the cheapest components. The sonic quality is terrible, no bass, a very muddled overpowering high-mid range which becomes all you hear and did I mention, no bass whatsoever. No, not even a muddled bass response. I would like to hazard a guess that these are fakes, but I bought them directly from the company, so clearly they aren't.
The build quality is adequate for a pair of $40 earphones - which is what they were going for on Amazon recently. I've measured these - and your complaint of no bass either confirms yoiu got a defective pair, you didn't get a correct seal, or your idea of bass is seriously misaligned with what others regard as good bass.
The separate "tuning filters" are a joke and to be laughed at. Really, such tiny things to be unscrewed and then another pair fitted on the train / bus / gym? I did it twice at a desk only for them to drop out, bounce off the desk onto the floor which, with a hard floor surface then takes on another journey across the floor. They unscrew by themselves, and the thought of having to worry about them eventually dropping out is such a major design flaw that I question if these have actually even been "designed". All three "tuning" filters are ultimately useless. It's just alters the various degrees of how bad they sound, not whether it "tunes" the sound.
No - they aren't. Again - I've measured the response. Others use the same design for tuning filters - including RHA. No-one has any issues with them - except you.
The connector on the jack will break. Easily. I'd say 2 months tops. Mark my words. I haven't seen such a low-quality poorly made connector for years. Like, 10 years. The cable is the cheapest possible cable that I'm sure the Chinese manufacturers offer. It's that greasy crappy plastic that's forever greasy regardless of how many times you wipe it and I'm convinced is not safe for human contact.
I've now had mine for well over a year. It's stood up to the test of time. It's still going and working well. The cable design is actually really good. It is hard wearing, supple, and not overly microphonic. Again your complaints seem groundless - and I question your motives.
The ear bud material is very thin - exactly like the fake CX 400's I once owned (bought them from Amazon, complained, Amazon reassured me they were genuine, complained again insisting they send me a genuine pair. 2 days later a genuine pair arrived. Ear-gasms ensued). Again, is this plastic safe to put in your ear? I don't know. I doubt the owner of Rock Jaw cares about that or has even bothered to investigate. Also, Chinese manufacturers live for manufacturing work, so will state what the owner wants them to state, even mis-labelling products.
You're complaining about the tips now? The tips on mine are fine. Nothing wrong with the quality. But most people I know (especially on this site) use the tips they know will work personally for them. In my case that means Sony Isolation tips or Comply foams. YMMV.
The quality of the packaging was worse than the fake CX 400 ii's with mis-prints and mis-aligned printer heads. Clearly, the Chinese manufacturers are laughing at the owner of Rock Jaw by offering such low quality.
And to prove that you have an axe to grind and can't be taken seriously - you now rant about the packaging?
Forget all the reviews. These are terrible. For RJ to sell these mean it's an automatic company avoid from now on until the company is closed and opens under a new name.
No - I'll forget about yours. Lets list what you've done:
- Made a direct personal attack on the people behind the company
- Made a blanket statement to the effect that anyone that reviews these positively can't be trusted
- Attacked every part of the A-Js from build through to packaging, even your own inepotness with the filters.
- From what we know so far, you have never apprached the Company with your concerns
It all reads as someone with a huge axe to grind - and I personally pay little creedance to your entire rant.
In closing - a far better reviewer than I am (!joker!) rates the Alfa Genus as 8.5/10 on overall value (3.5/5 on build quality, 8.1/10 on sound). That speaks volumes on the quality of your "review"
Edited - spelling
