The amount of competition in the gaming headset market can’t really be overstated right now, with established but niche brands like SteelSeries and Razer increasingly competing with first-party options from the likes of PlayStation and Xbox.
Sony’s own Inzone range of headsets launched last year at three price points, and its top-of-the-line version is the noise-cancelling H9, which should play nicer than any other option with the PS5, being from Sony itself. I’ve been putting it through its paces to test that hypothesis.
Sony INZONE H9 Gaming Headset
This is a great headset that integrates really nicely with your PS5, but it can’t quite match the very best third-party options out there. Still, there’s a lot to love and it matches the PS5 perfectly.
- Looks the part
- Good sound
- Tightly integrates with PS5
- Still needs a dongle
- Other options are more innovative
Design
- White to match PS5
- Swivel-back microphone
- Weighs 330g
The PS5 made a heck of a splash way back when it was first unveiled, a spaceship-looking design that pivoted Sony’s consoles away from the traditional stealthy black looks of the past with a dominant brilliant white.
That’s something that took some time to get used to, but we’re a few years in now and the Inzone H9 feels like a really nice mirror for its console.
It’s built in all-white with some nice black accents and components, and while this means it’s not the most subtle gaming headset, the sky isn’t exactly the limit when you have a microphone to contend with.
The earcups are nice and large, and the headband slightly evokes the Sony WH-1000XM5 noise-cancelling headphones in how it works and telescopes.
It’s very easy to get a comfortable fit, which is key because at 330g this isn’t a particularly lightweight headset compared to some competitors. We never had any discomfort, though, even during long sessions.
Earcup controls are very solid, with a volume dial on a raised nub for easier access without looking, and a quick button to change between noise-cancelling modes that also works very well.
The microphone here is semi-flexible and easy to get in position and can swivel away to mute or just get out of your peripheral vision, which is always welcome. That said, it’s not as hidden as the likes of SteelSeries’ headsets manage when folded away.
Finally, you get a little white dongle that plugs into your PS5 (or PC) for a wireless connection – there’s nothing much to say here beyond the fact that I’m a tiny bit disappointed that a first-party headset still needs a dongle. This is part of how the PS5 works, though, so hardly a big deal.
Sound performance
- 40mm drivers
- 5Hz-20,000Hz frequency response
- Noise-cancelling and ambient modes
Sony launched the PlayStation 5 with a headset that you could opt for – the Pulse 3D, which sounded great but had middling microphone pickup and some other minor drawbacks, and given the Inzone H9’s price tag of $300, it’s clearly aiming higher this time around.
The sound quality offered up is indeed terrific, too, with good balance and bass response meaning that the punchiest games developed specifically for the PS5, like Final Fantasy 16, sound excellent in most scenarios.
We occasionally got a tiny momentary crackle in testing but this always passed almost immediately and was very rare, so we’re not convinced it’s any sort of widespread issue.
If we have a hesitation, though, it’s that the detail of sound from the H9 doesn’t quite live up to the best we’ve tested elsewhere, whether that means the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless or the Audeze Maxwell, both of which edge it on sound at very similar prices.
This doesn’t mean that the overall performance is anything other than excellent, but given it’s a Sony original we were hoping that the H9 could really blow us away.
One feather in the headset’s cap, though, comes in the form of noise-cancelling – present on the Nova Pro Wireless but not the Maxwell, for context.
It works really nicely, clearly diminishing background noise and helping to isolate you in your game, and the included ambient sound mode does the opposite to ensure that you’re not too bubbled. This is ideal if you’re listening out for the doorbell, for instance.
That foldaway microphone brings very solid mic pickup and performance, meanwhile, meaning that you’ll come through loud and clear when you join a party chat or in-game channel.
Battery life and features
- Tight UI integration
- Up to 32 hours of battery life
The battery life arms race has really accelerated in the last couple of years for headsets – where 12 hours used to be a pretty average score from even a premium headset, we now expect much, much more.
32 hours, then, represents something close to the new par for a headset, and while the Inzone H9, therefore, delivers a totally acceptable result, we can’t help but wish it was more.
Some competitors like HyperX are offering headsets with battery life in the hundreds of hours, while others have battery-swapping options that give you near-unlimited life with hot-swapped packs.
That’s a hard line to tread, and we can’t honestly be too disappointed in 32 hours, but it’s there for the record. Much more positive is how the headset works with the PlayStation 5.
Connecting it is as easy as any other headset with a dongle, but from there you do get a far tighter experience. This ranges from the small things like the volume dial actually appearing on-screen when you use it on your headset, to bigger bonuses like a game-chat balance changer that actually works.
This latter feature is something we want on every headset since the audio mix for each game you play can be different with party chat overlaid, so having quick access to it is an excellent touch.
You also get access to easy audio presets and EQ controls on the PS5 itself, something that’s also locked for most third-party competitors, which is another great layer of functionality for those who want it.
Verdict
The Inzone H9 is like high-class comfort food – it’s a guaranteed success, but you know you’re missing out on something more innovative by opting for it.
That’s not to say we don’t recommend it, because its sound quality and integration with the PS5 are both very impressive, but we won’t be making it our daily driver when compared directly to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, our current top choice.
Still, it’s a massive step up compared to the older Pulse 3D headset and if you want something that visually matches your PS5 and works in perfect harmony with it, there’s basically no other choice that comes close.
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