Those in the Hip Hop game are no strangers to sticking their name on anything that can lead to a check. Sean “Diddy”
Combs is no stranger to that of course, restaurants, clothing, cologne, magazines vodka, and now headphones. The unfortunately-named Diddybeats enter into the high-end market backed by Monster and the highly successful Beats By Dre line. 

Diddy’s in-ear buds are nowhere near the price of Dre’s full size set – nor should they be, but they are still a steep $180. Dr. Dre claimed that people spend hundreds of dollars a year on music and then ruin it by listening on cheap headphones that can’t capture the sound properly. The man has a point there, even if he is overestimating peoples spending habits in 2010. Zshare links don’t cost doc. Like everything, there is indeed a market for high end headphones. But if you’re the type who rocks iPod freebies or upgrades to $30 joints at most, Diddybeats are out of the question no matter how good they are. These are far from the only $180 ear buds available, so the real question is if these Diddy endorsed bad boys are worth your dollars. 

Not surprisingly, these look great. The buds are aluminum and wrapped in leather, but the high point aesthetically is the cord. Nothing irks me more than cords getting tangled and constantly being twisted. The cord here is flat and a smooth rubber, no tangling, no twisting, and it looks great. The downside is the cord seems to be a bit heavy, with the ControlTalk mic not helping the cause. Don’t get me wrong, the mic feature is great. The sound quality is excellent and it works seamlessly with the major phones. In terms of extras, you’ve got 10 pairs of bud covers in different sizes and shapes. Yes, 10. Plus a clip for attaching to your shirt and a tacky little “Sean John” inspired case that looks more like a change purse. It is a nice way to protect your pricey headphones rather than just stuffing them in your bag or pocket, but will people really use it?

Hopefully no one is buying $200 buds for any of these reasons though; sound should be king. In the case of Diddybeats, it isn’t. The sound is good, certainly better than the average $30 joints, but not worth the hefty price tag. The base and clarity is good, and the noise cancelling is top notch. But worth $50 more than some of Bose and Sony’s in ear headphones? Not in my opinion. For what it is worth, you will certainly look better wearing these ones.

Purchase Diddybeats High Performance In-ear Headphones with ControlTalk