RockJaw Alfa Genus V2 review: Terrific earphones marred by lousy design

Alfa Genus V2 offers exemplary audio experience, customised using the bundled audio filters to offer bass or treble-rich output. However, the efforts to change the audio filters dampens their utility

British audio accessory brand RockJaw might not be a known name in India’s earphones space but it has some unconventional line-up of products aiming to offer customised audio experience without burning a hole in your pocket.

The latest from the stable of RockJaw are the Alfa Genus V2 wired earphones, which come with interchangeable tuning audio filters to customise the sound output based on the three different formats – bass, treble and neutral. This pair of in-ear earphones also comes bundled with ear buds of different sizes and types, along with a collar clip for ease of use.

In terms of design, the earphones sport a reasonably long wire of satisfactory quality, making it easy to use with laptops, tablets or smartphones. However, the all-rubber design is not as good as the braided wire design that avoids entangling. The earphones are made of aluminium which makes them light in weight without causing any disarray to the outlook.

Coming to the utility, this pair of earphones comes fitted with neutral audio filter out-of-the-box. The audio filters can easily be swapped by replacing the ear tips or audio filter with either of the filters provided in the box. As for the sound quality, the neutral filter offers balanced output, while the bass and treble filters improve the lows and highs of the output, respectively. Although the audio filters improve the sound output, the difference is not stark and, therefore, the neutral filter feels appropriate for most audio tracks.

As for the downsides, this earphone pair does not feature a microphone, so you cannot use it for anything other than consuming multimedia content. The audio filter’s swivel-to-fasten design is not up to the mark and, at times, comes off easily even while changing the ear buds. The audio filter concept does allow customising the music experience, but swapping them is a messy affair with quite high chances of you losing the filter by accident.

Verdict

The Alfa Genus V2 from the stable of RockJaw offers exemplary audio experience. It can also be customised using bundled audio filters to offer bass or treble-rich output. However, the efforts to change the audio filters dampens their utility and, therefore, hampers the overall experience. On the other hand, the earphones are compatible with a wide range of devices using the 3.5mm audio jack.

The earphones cost $64.25 and $56.95 (including shipping charges) for with mic and without mic variants, respectively. It can be purchased directly through RockJaw official online portal (rockjawaudio.com).