Diddybeats High-Performance In-Ear Headphones (photos)

The Diddybeats earphones offer a great balance of style, durability, features, and sound quality, making them a good option for anyone looking for nice in-ear headphones with some character.

Jasmine France

May 28, 2010 9:24 a.m. PT

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Josh Miller/CNET

The first thing you're likely to notice upon extracting the Diddybeats from their Monster packaging is that they're very well-constructed. From the glossy conical earpieces to the thick, flat ribbon cable to the reinforced gold-plated L-plug, everything feels polished and durable.

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Josh Miller/CNET

of course, they wouldn't be Beats without some stylish accenting throughout. Each earpiece features a lowercase "db" logo on the outer edge and a bit of colored leatherette trim wrapped around it.

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Monster

You have your choice of three colors for the trim and cable: black, white, or light pink. (The black definitely seems the least likely to show wear and tear, as the other two look like they'd pick up dirt easily.)

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Josh Miller/CNET

Moving down the cable from the earpieces, you'll find a few other features worth noting. The first is an inline module that contains a mic, a volume toggle, and a multifunction button that answers calls and controls playback for the iPhone or iPod. The Diddybeats also include a slider below that help with tangles on the Y, not that we noticed much of an issue with that during testing.

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Josh Miller/CNET

The one issue with any sort of extra weight on the cable is that we found that the earbuds tended to slip out of our ears. We just couldn't get a secure fit, but given the startling array of eartips in the package--one foam set, six of the standard silicone models, and two triple-flanged tips--this will likely not be an issue for everyone.

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Josh Miller/CNET

We put the Diddybeats to the test with a playlist of tracks from a variety of genres and were pleased to note that these earphones are capable of providing good audio for those with eclectic taste. Playback is very balanced, with plenty of detail through the high end and a low end that thumps without overpowering.