Disclaimer: The Alfa Genus V2 was sent to me free of charge straight from the UK headquarters. They do not need to be returned
ROCKJAW
This review is a follow up review of the original Alfa Genus review, do make sure to read that review first as the basics mostly won’t be covered here again. Since the last review Rockjaw has only gotten more praise and if you look at the universal IEM market, you will see several brands using “tuning filters” now, in all price ranges. Even on KickStarter new IEMs with filters keep popping up so it seems Rockjaw made a wise choice.
Rockjaw still is a UK based company and besides the new Alfa Genus V2 they also offer the Arcana V2, Hydra V2 and the Kommand IEM. The Kommand actually is a balanced armature based design where the three other models use a dynamic driver. Rockjaw is all about the quality of the sound, whether you are listing to music or watching a movie, they want you to have the most enjoyable experience possible. Great sound delivery makes your experiences heightened, your enjoyment greater and your appreciation for what the artist made for you all the more spectacular. To get there they run a series of tests which is described on their website here.
The Second Revision
The new Alfa Genus V2 was rebuilt from the ground up and the headphones now sport a beautiful, lightweight aluminum casing. This provides a more durable, sleek finish whilst retaining Rock Jaw’s British-engineering and design ethos. The first version of the Alfa Genus had a wooden/aluminum body so for some reason Rockjaw decides to leave the wood behind. The driver housing of the new V2 is also smaller than the V1’s housing. The new V2 still uses the exact same filter system as its predecessor but the cable has changed. Where we before had the Brainwavz M2-like cable the cable now is a lot thicker and it has a soft rubber exterior that produces a lot less friction noise. When ordering you can either choose a cable with or without “mic”.
Last time I reported it was quite hard to spot which unit was left and right and Rockjaw now made that very clear with a black a black L/R sign on the strain relief. I also mentioned I wasn’t too sure about that strain relief holding up when throwing the monitors in a bag and to my surprise it seems they even made the connector more fragile by removing the extra plastic that protects the connection where the cable enters the unit. Only time will tell if that was a wise choice. So on one hand the build quality seems to have improved with the new and more quiet cable while it on the other seems more fragile with the missing extra protection. That being said, build quality still is pretty good for the price they are going for ($63/€54)
Comfort wise, these still are very lightweight and with the smaller housing they fit my ears perfectly when using the smallest tips. The V2 comes with a series of plastic tips, 2 pair of foam tips and one pair of double flanged tips (and a shirt clip). I’m not a fan of universal monitors but these to me are quite comfy. I mostly use them at home when I am in the couch and don’t have to move too much as they do tend to fall out of my tiny ears when I move around a lot.
The V2 still uses the same 8mm driver its predecessor used, delivering exceptionally accurate and detailed sound, according to Rockjaw. As I said, the filter system used still is exactly the same but with the change in cable, foam used in the filters and a smaller housing, the sound signature of the new model slightly changed.
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Specs:
- Drivers: 8mm dynamic
- 3x Interchangeable tuning filters
- Compatible with iOS / Android / Windows Smartphones
- Impedance: 16Ω
- Sensitivity: 108+/-3db
- Frequency response: 20 – 20000Hz
- Cord Length: 1.2M
- Jack type: Gold plated 3.5mm (right angle jack)
- MIC with universal pause/play button
- Eartips included: (S/M/L) silicone | (M/L) memory foam | (S) double flange.
Click here or below to go to the Sound part on the next page
