Rock Jaw Alpha Genus V2 Review

Rock Jaw are back once more – this time with an updated version of a previous favorite. Find if they live up to their previous incarnation in our Rock Jaw Alpha Genus V2 review.

Rock Jaw aim to produce amazing sounding earphones at a price that is significantly more affordable than traditional IEMs (in ear monitors). We’ve reviewed & loved the Arcana V2 and the previous Alpha Genus. The new Alpha Genus V2 has an RRP that is £5 less than its predecessor – but does it still deliver?

Sleek Looks & Refined Build

The packaging is virtually identical to the previous version – with the only obvious difference being the updated, new Rock Jaw logo. The box is well made, nicely designed & presents the earphones very nicely. When sliding the inner box out from the sleeve, you do need to be a little careful as there are accessories nestled in the foam on both sides of the box…which can be knocked loose and scattered relatively easily. Once inside you can start to spot some of the differences.

This time the earpieces are made from metal instead of wood, making the design even cleaner and sleeker – in short they look great. Once again, removing the eartip reveals a removable audio tuning filter. Simply unscrew, then screw back in your preferred choice & replace the eartips. The filters sound significantly different & you should try them all to find which you prefer (most likely silver or gold).

Moving down – the cable is also different. Its a much heavier silicone cable, which looks and feels high quality…but it is fairly heavy. Because of this extra weight, some users may find that they need to use the cable clip to help support it & prevent the earphones from being pulled out during use. On the left side there is a mic/button unit which is sleek and understated – the button does rattle a little, but this is only noticable when either taking the Alpha Genus V2 out of the pouch, or putting them back in. The lower section of the cable is quite chunky – this is where the weight comes from. The cable split and jack plug are essentially both the same as the previous version – they are cleanly styled and made from tough, molded plastic.

You also get a good range of accessories:

• 3 sets of tuning filters (silver: bass, gold: natural, black: treble)
• 3 sets of grey silicone eartips (small, medium, large)
• 1 set of white double flange eartips
• 2 sets of soft foam eartips (small, large)
• cable clip
• black storage pouch

This is a really nice selection, more than were provided with the previous version. Whilst this gives you a wide range of choices, it really is worth trying the different options as the sound and fit do vary considerably with the different choices.

The storage pouch is a convenient way to store the earphones when not in use. At first glance the pouch looks to be the same as provided with some cheaper earphones, however, on closer inspection the material is of a much higher quality.

The supplied eartips are all very good – they all sound very similar (which isn’t always the case), which means they should be considered as different comfort/fit options. While I found them all to fit me well (which is also rare), in the end I chose to use the stock, grey silicone eartips mostly due to ease of inserting/removal compared to the foam tips.

Big, Wide & Detailed

The different audio filters provided with the Rock Jaw Alpha Genus V2 DO sound very different. I would suggest that most people won’t choose to use the black filters as they remove most of the bass, this is only really useful to check an audio mix on, not for everyday listening purposes.

The silver and gold filters both sound good. The silver, bass filters give an more emphasized bass, scooped mid range & emphasized top end – this makes them more h-fi like. The gold filters retain the same character, but offer a much more natural sound – the bass is still deep and plentiful, but the mid frequencies and top end are much more balanced & refined. Out of the box, the silver filters are installed – make sure your EQ is flat, give them a try & then try the gold ones to see which you prefer.

So, just to recap – the final choice was the grey silicone eartips with the gold filters…tested using a Sony Xperia Z3.

The bass is deep and warm – but still retains a good punch. Serious bass heads may find the urge to add a smidge more with EQ – but for us, it was spot on (and we like bass!). The mid range is really nicely balanced and natural sounding with no noticeable holes or boosts to be heard. The top end is open and airy providing lots of space. The overall level of audio detail is really quite special – you will hear subtle details and background effects that you’ve never heard before.

Do they sound better than the previous version? Yes – they are more refined, sound cleaner & seem to have a bigger, wider sound stage.

Rock Jaw Alpha Genus V2 Review Conclusion

Rock Jaw have done it again. The quality of audio that the Alpha Genus V2 provide is really quite special – they make an excellent choice for anyone with a smartphone. These really do allow you to listen to music as it should be heard, but without the large price tag that normally comes with earphones of this standard. The Rock Jaw Alpha Genus V2 are a damn fine set of earphones that will suit any music lover.