Diesel True Wireless Earbuds Review
A sleek and comfortable pair of affordable earbuds
Verdict
The Diesels are sleek and comfortable earbuds that offer seamless pairing and decent sound. Battery life fell short of my expectations, but if you like designer labels and are in need of a new pair of earbuds, these are an easy buy.
Pros
- Eye-catching charging case
- Quick to pair
- Very comfortable
Cons
- Battery life falls short
- Bass-heavy audio
Availability
- UKRRP: £100
Key Features
- Diesel-branded charging caseFeatures a 360-degree rotating lid
- Wireless pairingBluetooth 5.0
- Mono and stereo modesUse one earbud or both
- 32 hours of battery8 hours in the earbuds and 24 in the case
Introduction
Almost a decade has passed since Diesel teamed up with Monster to launch its VEKTR headphones. Now, the brand is back in the audio game with a new partner and a new pair of earbuds.
The True Wireless Earbuds are the result of a collaboration with Telecom Lifestyle Fashion and are the first pair of true wireless headphones from Diesel. The launch comes seven years after the lifestyle brand stepped away from the audio market due to the fierce competition.
The Diesel earbuds differentiate themselves from other true wireless pairs because they’re designed to exude style and, above all else, to make a statement. There’s certainly no missing the flashy designer logo on the case, but how do they sound?
Design
- A comfortable stem-shaped design
- Touch controls at the top
- The case features the Diesel logo and a unique rotating lid
In terms of design, the Diesel True Wireless Earbuds take on the tail shape popularised by Apple’s AirPods and found on countless other true wireless pairs such as the Urbanista London and the EarFun Air.
The earbuds are available in a choice of two colours: a matte black or a vibrant red. I managed to get the former in for review, which look pretty inconspicuous aside from the shiny multifunction button that sports a silver letter ‘D’.
In the box, the earbuds are accompanied by three swappable rubber ear tips in small, medium and large sizes, which I found offered decent passive noise cancellation and were incredibly comfortable. The earbuds are lightweight and fit snugly in the ears, and never once felt at risk of slipping out.
The aforementioned multifunction button on the earbuds delivers touch controls to play/pause, skip a track, go back, adjust the volume, answer calls and activate your phone’s voice assistant, all of which are simple and intuitive to learn.
The most eye-catching design feature here isn’t the earbuds themselves, but the case.
Offering wireless charging, it comes in matching red or black colours, with a large metal Diesel logo stealing attention on top of the lid. The reflective logo makes the case look expensive, despite not being the most svelte unit around.
A rubberised ring wraps around the case, just under the LED indicator, which Diesel claims delivers extra grip when you pick up the case; but I can’t say it felt any more secure.
The most interesting feature here is the 360-degree rotatable lid. Speaking to Diesel, I was told that the brand chose the rotating lid because it wanted to create a unique offering that wasn’t simply a replica of Apple’s AirPods offering.
I also asked about durability – since the hinge definitely feels a bit precarious – and was assured you’d need to use excess force to cause damage. While only time will attest to its durability, I can at least confirm that through the testing period, it has remained in one piece. Note, too, that these earbuds are water-resistant up to IPX4.
I did notice that the lid can on occasion become caught when pushed into tight pockets, leaving the case slightly ajar if I wasn’t careful – which, ironically, appears to make the Diesel earbuds not so ideal for jeans.
Features
- The earbuds pair quickly with Bluetooth 5.0
- The battery fell short by about 1.5 hours
- There’s support for wireless charging
Pairing the Diesel True Wireless Earbuds with your phone is quick and easy. Simply open the case and pair them manually the first time. Once paired, I found that rotating the lid connected the earbuds to my iPhone in an instant.
The Diesels are a very feature-light pair of earbuds, but they fulfill the basics well. Pairing the earbuds and navigating the playback controls are simple processes, but if you’re looking for noise cancelling or a Transparency mode to block out background noise on your commute, then you won’t find it here.
However, the earbuds do support both mono and stereo modes, meaning you can easily switch between listening with two earbuds or one, for those occasions you want greater awareness of your surroundings, or if you earbud is running low on battery. However, I did find I needed to place both earbuds back in the case and reopen the lid when I wanted to return to stereo mode, which was a bit of a faff.
If there’s one area where the Diesel True Wireless Earbuds are let down, it’s battery life. Diesel states these earbuds carry 8 hours of battery (or 32 hours in total with the case). However, in my experience streaming Spotify consistently at a medium volume, I found battery life was closer to 6.5 hours.
This is by no means a poor result; 6.5 hours is around average for a pair of true wireless earbuds, and its more than the 6 hours offered by the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and the 4.5 hours of the AirPods Pro. However, it still falls short of Diesel’s 8-hour claim, and is less impressive than the battery life offered on lower-priced earbuds such as the EarFun Free Pro, which I found were capable of lasting up to 8 hours during testing.
The Diesel True Wireless Earbuds can be charged via the USB Type-C cable in the box, or via wireless charger (not included). There’s no support for fast charging.
Sound quality
- The earbuds are designed for bass lovers
- The bass and mid-range sound great
- The treble and tonal balance is lacking
When I spoke to Diesel, I was told that these units were designed with the younger Gen Y and Gen Z in mind, with the earbuds’ emphasis on bass complementing those generations’ love for rock and hip hop music.
The Diesels aren’t perfectly balanced and won’t mesh well with every genre; but, if you enjoy a lot of bass, the audio doesn’t sound bad at all.
To test them out, I put on Hysteria by Muse, a song underpinned by its rumbling bassline. The bass comes in heavy, maintaining a commanding presence through to the end. However, the detail definition in the low-end isn’t as clear as I’d like it to be, and the soundstage feels a bit cramped, particularly in the busy chorus.
Twenty One Pilots’ Stressed Out offers the same hard-hitting bass performance without sounding quite as cluttered as Hysteria. The mid-range holds its own in this track, allowing the vocals to maintain as much attention as the lows.
The treble doesn’t quite have the same presence, but this is somewhat by design. The Diesel True Wireless Earbuds aren’t built for audiophiles, or marketed towards anyone with a preference for less bass-y genres. For example, while Ludovico Einaudi’s Experience sounds okay, displaying plenty of detail, it misses out on some of the nuance of the treble.
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Should you buy it?
You value style The Diesel True Wireless Earbuds are designed to make a statement. If you really want to command attention with your earbuds, opt for the bold red pair.
You’re an audiophile These are by no means a poor-sounding pair of earbuds, but you can get more balanced sound for a similar – or lower – price.
Final Thoughts
From pairing and playback controls to audio quality, the Diesel True Wireless Earbuds cover the basics well.
There are no additional features to flaunt, which might make their price a little harder to swallow for some. You can certainly pick up cheaper earbuds with ANC and better balanced audio, but you’re paying for the Diesel name as well as the earbuds here.
That isn’t to say the Diesel’s aren’t worth your money if you like the way they look. While the battery life falls short of the brand’s claims, 6.5 hours remains a respectable amount of playtime for a pair of true wireless earbuds. The rotating case looks great, pairing is quick and easy – and if you’re a fan of bass, you’ll enjoy the Diesel earbuds’ sound presentation too.
How we test
We test every headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested the earbuds for multiple days
Drained the battery to see how long they can last
Listened to music on several streaming services
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FAQs
They’re available in black and red.
No, these are not noise-cancelling earbuds.
Diesel claims the battery can last 32 hours in total, with 8 hours in the earbuds and 24 in the case.
Full specs
Jargon buster
IP rating
An abbreviation for ‘Ingress Protection Code’, which lets you know to what extent a device might be waterproof or dustproof.ANC
ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) uses an array of microphones in a headphone to detect the frequency of the sound coming at the listener, with the ANC chip creating an inverse wave (i.e. opposing sound) to suppress any unwanted external noises.USB-C
The modern USB connector you’ll find on most Android phones, new laptops, cameras and games consoles. It’s reversible and used for charging along with data-transfer.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
