Sony INZONE H9: Review

The Sony Inzone H9 Wireless is a gaming headset from the INZONE line. This line is designed to be paired with the PlayStation 5 console, as they share a similar aesthetic and, as they do not have an AUX port, cannot be used with the Xbox. They are the most premium model in this line and are equipped with features such as active noise cancellation (ANC), spatial audio and Bluetooth. However, their build quality is not up to the standards of other high-end gaming headsets, such as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, and otherwise they don't have much to offer to distinguish themselves from the competition. The Sony INZONE H9 Wireless is a gaming headset from the INZONE line. 

This line is designed to be paired with the PlayStation 5 console, as they share a similar aesthetic and, as they do not have an AUX port, cannot be used with the Xbox. They are the most premium model in this line and are equipped with features such as active noise cancellation (ANC), spatial audio and Bluetooth. However, their build quality is not up to the standards of other high-end gaming headsets, such as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, and otherwise they don't have much to offer to distinguish themselves from the competition.

Design and Features

The Sony Inzone H9 looks very similar to the Pulse 3D headset, with a white plastic outer shell and a matte black headband. The design is simple and clean and fits in perfectly with the other accessories in the PS5 line. The earcups are very different from those of the Pulse 3D: instead of having a circular shape, the Inzone H9s are more oval and remind me a bit of the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones. Like the WH-1000XM5, the side of the H9s uses forks to secure the earcups instead of the more rigid design of the Pulse 3Ds. This gives the earcups a bit more flexibility and makes the H9s much more comfortable to wear than the Pulse 3D headphones, which felt cramped in my head. The forked design gives more leverage to fit more head shapes: we are able to wear them for a full 8-hour workday and then turn around to listen to music without any discomfort.

Underneath the earcups are several buttons: The right side houses the power button, Bluetooth pairing button and Game/Chat button that allows you to adjust the levels of both. The bottom left side houses the USB-C port, a dedicated button to turn ambient noise on or off, and a volume control wheel. The Inzone H9s are the only headphones in the trio to offer the same soft leather included in the Sony WH-1000XM5, which gives the earcups a soft foam feel that helps maintain comfort even after prolonged use. However, it is also more prone to scratches and tears after prolonged use and is more prone to picking up oils and stains.

The headset uses a USB dongle to connect wirelessly to a PC or PS5. we also tried connecting the H9s to my Xbox Series X and Series S consoles using the dongle, but unfortunately we couldn't get them to work with either. we set the dongle to Windows, which kept the dongle/headphone connection stable, but the Xbox refused to recognize the headset. we also tried connecting them to the Xbox via Bluetooth, without success.

Active Noise-Canceling

The Sony Inzone H9 features active noise-canceling, a welcome feature that was missing on the Pulse 3D headset. Of the three new H-series Inzone headsets, only the H9 features ANC. The Inzone H9 does a good job of blocking out sound. In testing, I found the noise-cancellation feature was way better than the Razer Opus and more closely up to par with my AirPods Pro. Before playing any audio, the noise cancellation didn’t fully block outside noise. I could still slightly hear a fan blowing, or a bit of noise from a TV set to a normal volume. Once I started playing music or a podcast through the H9, though, it did a good job blocking outside sound.

The Inzone H9 also has an Ambient Sound feature that amplifies outside sound so that you can hear things like people talking without having to take the headphones off. There’s a setting in the Inzone Hub software that lets you set your desired ambient sound level, as well as a “Focus on Voice” toggle that reduces background noise and prioritizes person-to-person conversations.

Wireless connectivity and Battery Life

To ensure a stable connection with minimal delay, the Sony Inzone H9 connects via a 2.4 GHz wireless USB dongle. It can also connect via Bluetooth 5.0, supporting SBC and AAC codecs, so you can pair it with an Android or Apple phone. Best of all, it can connect to two devices at the same time, getting audio from a phone and a PC or console. This flexibility can be very useful in some Discord setups and other niche situations. You have to select on the dongle whether you are connecting a PS5 or a PC, but this allows you to adjust system-wide controls, such as the balance between gaming and chat.

For an ANC headset, the H9 has stellar battery life. According to Sony, it lasts up to 32 hours with ANC turned off. I experienced a battery life of over 25 hours on a single charge and with ANC on most of the time, which is well above average. The H9 also offers the rare advantage of fast charging support: connected via USB-C, it can be charged for an hour in 10 minutes. This is very useful if you are ready to play and find that your headset is running out of power.