TechRadar Verdict
It might be big and beautiful, but Sony still fails to deliver on what should be a sure-fire win. The Inzone H9 gaming headset lacks the audio punch you’d expect at this price, and the mic is worse than its cheaper sibling, the H5.
Pros
- +
Strong ergonomic fit
- +
Clean aesthetic design
- +
Solid software suite
Cons
- -
Audio underperforms
- -
Microphone is worse than cheaper alternatives
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Sony INZONE H9: One-minute review
Sony, without a doubt, has a reputation as an exceptional manufacturer of products. It’s a company that’s seriously made a name for itself, building one of the most successful console series we’ve seen in the last two decades.
Its DualSense controllers, PlayStation handhelds, and general hardware ecosystem over the years have been nothing short of outstanding, so, going into testing the $250 plus Inzone H9 wireless noise-canceling headset, a blend of both that PS5 design and ecosystem, combined with Sony’s legendary audio and noise-canceling prowess, I had high hopes that it was going to be an absolute killer piece of kit, easily making its way onto our best PC gaming headsets list and beyond.
After all, as I’ve mentioned, this is a company that already has an impressive audio subsection of its brand. Just grab some of those engineers, give them a design IP and a bit of budget, chuck a full-fledged microphone on the beating heart of a unit like the Sony WH1000XM5 or its predecessors and they’d be off to the races.
So, is that the case? Is the Sony Inzone H9 wireless noise-cancelling gaming headset, a pair of WH1000XM5s disguised as a PS5 headset? Well, no, not quite. They're expensive, stylish, and well-designed - but the audio performance doesn't really line up with the price tag.
Sony INZONE H9: Price and availability
- How much does it cost? $300 / £269 / AU$450 - but now available cheaper
- When is it available? Available now
- Where can you get it? Available worldwide
Interface: 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, USB-C
Compatibility: Windows, Mac, PS4/5, mobile devices
Mic: Bidirectional noise-cancelling
Surround sound: Sony 360 Spatial Sound for Gaming
Weight: 330g
So let’s talk price: what are we looking at here? Well, the Inzone H9 wireless clocks in at a fairly steep $300 in the US, £269 in the UK, and AU$450 for our friends down under. However, you can pick it up cheaper from most major retailers - the best bet for stateside shoppers is Amazon or Bestbuy, for the UK, Currys or Amazon are the best picks here too. Likewise, you’ll also find these floating around in Europe at Amazon.de, and Australia as well, although stock there is far more limited.
The Inzone H9 Wireless is a costly piece of kit, and slapping that kind of price tag on a headset of this caliber makes it fair game for comparison against a whole swathe of top-tier competition from the likes of Logitech, Razer, Corsair, and more.
In fact, its retail price in the US actually did sit at $300 until fairly recently, and even at its reduced price, that puts it in spitting distance of the excellent Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed headset, or even the likes of the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro. In other words, the competition is fierce. Both those sets of cans do miss out on one key feature, namely the ANC, but more on that later.
- Value: 2 / 5
Sony INZONE H9: Design
- Stylish aesthetic
- Very comfortable to wear
- Multiple on-headset controls
One quick look at the Inzone H9 Wireless and you’ll immediately fall under its spell. Particularly if you’re already heavily invested in the Sony PS5 ecosystem, and pick up a white version of this little beauty. It’s got an incredibly clean style to it, complete with that sandblasted white plastic we’ve come to expect, paired with a high contrast black shiny plastic mixed with matt touches, along with perhaps not-so-subtle Sony branding on the ear-cups.
The microphone in particular looks exceptionally clean, with its swivel mechanism, and the overall ergonomic inclusions Sony has integrated into the Inzone H9 are nothing to be smirked at. The earcups are big circumaural affairs that easily coffer your entire ear, and it has a similar feel to a helicopter pilot’s cans. Perhaps not something you’d want to wear around town, but it does lend itself to a classy overall look, and some top-tier comfort.
Speaking of, the headband is much improved over the more affordable Inzone H5 wireless, and the earcups equally feature a softer faux leather finish (although it does feel a little “crisp” which is weird for a headset). The padding is a lot more plush than its cheaper siblings too. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it's memory foam (and that’s not something Sony has in its marketing materials either), but it’s comfortable for long-term use, and that’s what’s important here.
Aside from the physicality of the thing, the Inzone H9 features only two connection standards, Bluetooth 5.0 and your standard Wireless 2.4 GHz dongle affair. Unlike the Inzone H5, the H9 doesn’t feature an analog connection, although it does have USB-C connectivity.
There are a number of buttons integrated into the headset as well, including power, Bluetooth, game/chat volume adjustments, a volume wheel, and a noise-canceling button, allowing you to swap between different presets on the fly.
- Design: 4.5 / 5
Sony INZONE H9: Performance
- Sound quality is only middling
- Mic doesn't perform well
- Good battery life
The one thing that will make or break a good gaming headset is the quality of its audio. It doesn’t matter what extra features it comes with, what noise-canceling it has, or what spatial audio AI sound control gimmickry is baked into its marketing language: if it can’t produce good audio, comparatively to the products in its price bracket, it’s going to get hammered.
So then. Sony’s Inzone H9 wireless noise cancelling headset. Audio? Not great. Nope, sadly, these are the exact same drivers found in the far cheaper Inzone H5 wireless gaming headset, the same 5 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response, and to cap it off the same confused EQ tuning has been applied straight out of the gate. The bass, although potent, seems muted and muffled, there’s no punch to it, the mids seem to be lacking their top-end, and overall clarity re-inforced by the treble, like its H5 cousin, is just absent, which is a really sad thing to report given the high price of this headset.
I tested the Inzone H9 wireless for a few weeks, comparing it to several cheaper and more expensive headsets, and it just fails to make an impact in contrast to the likes of offerings from Audiotechnica, Corsair, and Razer. This is sad, because Sony is a company that already has such a prestigious audio pedigree behind it. Music is just okay; it’s an okay headset. In-game it’s enjoyable enough, sure, but again: you don’t just want “okay” when you’re spending this much cash on a gaming headset.
Then we get to the microphone. Now this is different compared to the likes of the Inzone H5 - by which I mean it’s somehow more muffled and less clear, and again, when you consider products like Corsair’s HS80 or HyperX’s Cloud Alpha, and how potent they are in that department, it’s just not a good feeling.
The noise-cancelling however is somewhat of a saving grace. It’s there, it’s powerful, and it’s good at cutting out hum and vibrations, fan noise from your PC, or the drone of a washer-dryer, although it’s not capable of cutting out all noise in the vicinity. If someone’s playing loud music in the next room, or shouting your name, you're still going to hear them. Similarly, there are very few ANC gaming headsets out there at this price point (after all, it’s a lot easier to control the ambient sound of your gaming environment than it is outside your home). That said, the real killer piece of tech is (somewhat ironically) the ambient sound mode. It’s generally quite a nice touch, and performs well, giving the Inzone H9 wireless an impressive open-backed feeling to it.
Connectivity is fine. 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and USB-C are enough in this day and age, and the USB dongle included has a switch allowing you to swap between PS5 and PC mode depending on what you’re plugging it into. I found that the battery life was solid; Sony advertises up to 32 hours of playback with ANC turned off, and while I don't think it lasts quite that long in practice, it certainly holds charge well enough to not need plugging every other day. There's quick charge via USB-C too, giving you an hour of game time after 10 minutes of charging.
Sony’s Inzone hub software suite is pretty slick too, and impressively easy to use - which is good, because you'll want to adjust the wonky factory EQ settings. You’ll still be handicapped by those audio drivers though, sadly.
The Sony Inzone H9 isn’t a bad headset, not at its heart. In isolation, it’s a decent experience. If you pick one of these up, you’ll have an alright time with it. But really, you’re going to be buying this headset if you want that “Sony” badge clout, and for your cans to match your PS5 DualSense controller, and in that regard, it’s highly difficult for me to recommend it. The audio just isn’t up to scratch compared to the competition (and Sony's own cheaper Inzone cans), and that’s a real problem.
- Performance: 2.5 / 5
Should I buy the Sony INZONE H9?
Buy it if...
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Sony INZONE H9: Report card
| Value | At this sort of price point, I'd strongly expect better audio quality. I want to like the Inzone H9, but it's overpriced for what it offers. | 2 / 5 |
| Design | One of the best-looking and best-feeling headsets I've put atop my head. | 4.5 / 5 |
| Performance | Sound quality is lacklustre and the microphone is inexplicably worse than Sony's cheaper model, but at least the battery life is good. | 2.5 / 5 |
| Total | While it's a well-designed and perfectly functional headset, the Sony Inzone H9 simply doesn't perform well enough to justify its high asking price. | 3 / 5 |
- First reviewed April 2024
How we test
I spent four weeks testing the Inzone H9 wireless noise-canceling gaming headset, along with its H5 cousin, while comparing it to some competitor headsets at the same price point. I was testing mostly on PC but also used my PS5 to check the software and to see if there were any major changes to audio quality. I’ve used it playing Dark Souls III, Elden Ring, Total War: Warhammer III, and World of Warcraft -really taking advantage of a multitude of high-quality soundstages to get the most out of those audio drivers.
I also used the Inzone H9 wireless extensively while listening to music on Spotify Premium and while consuming endless content on YouTube Premium as well, listening and watching a vast array of different videos from multiple genres. For microphone testing, I cranked it up in Windows 11’s in-built sound recorder program for my own internal comparison tests and passively used it in Discord calls as well.
We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.
