The Sony INZONE H9 wireless gaming headset arrives for the Sony peripheral crown. With wireless connectivity, super plush earpads, and a sleek design reminiscent of the PS5, this is definitely a contender for the best gaming headset. (opens in a new tab) and the best PS5 headset of 2022.
Although it doesn’t get any budget headset awards as it’s priced just under $300/£270, if you’re looking for Sony quality sound and a headset that will look stylish with your PS5 and other peripherals INZONE like the Sony Inzone Monitor M9, this could be your new baby.
However, with other similarly priced headphones on the market, is it worth shelling out the cash? We’ve put the Sony INZONE H9 through serious testing to help you decide if this is the headset for you.
Design features
Essential information
Design: Circum-auricular, closed back
Type: Bluetooth and 2.4GHz
Compatibility: PC, PlayStation, Android, iOS
Drivers: 40mm
Response frequency: 5Hz – 20kHz
Price: $299
Tested on PC and PS5.
The Sony INZONE H9 is a white plastic shell with a matte black “interior” that features leather on the ear cups and headband. The earbuds are on the large side which may be a deterrent to some people due to their appearance when worn. Due to the way the ear cups are attached to the headband, they easily swivel for storage and/or comfort like the Razer Barracuda X.
On the right earcup, you’ll find the power button, a Bluetooth pairing button, and two buttons that say ‘game’ and ‘chat’. Pressing the ‘game’ button will allow you to adjust the volume balance of your game audio, while the ‘chat’ button, you guessed it, will allow you to adjust the volume balance of the chat. The left earcup has a USB-C port for charging the headphones, a volume wheel with no upper or lower limit, and a button that lets you toggle noise/ambient noise cancellation on and off.
Yes, the INZONE H9 has a noise canceling option, a feature that many gamers want to include in the PS5 Pulse 3D headset. It also has the ability to simultaneously connect to your PC or PS5 via the dongle and to your phone via Bluetooth, which is a nice option that you find more frequently in newer headsets.
If you are using the INZONE H9 on your PC or Mac, you can download the free INZONE hub app. This lets you adjust noise cancellation or ambient sound, and also enables spatial sound, which requires you to download a smartphone app that will scan your right and left ears to further personalize the audio. You can also adjust the dynamic range in the app and adjust the equalizer. Equalizer settings might not be as involved as other headsets, but you can play around with presets (Music/Video, Custom, and Flat), as well as create your own custom sound profiles.
Performance
The Sony INZONE H9 is a snap to set up on PC and PS5, connecting via the USB dongle almost immediately after hitting the power button. Due to its lightweight construction and super soft leather wrapped ear cups, I wear the headset for hours without complaining about my ears or temples, the latter usually taking the brunt of my glasses arms squeezed by others helmets. This is a fully eyeglass wearer approved helmet, so keep that in mind.
The noise canceling option is great considering I’m sitting directly next to a very loud air conditioner, which can sometimes prevent me from even hearing my own thoughts. It’s also excellent at blocking out all the other noises in my apartment, whether it’s my partner loudly watching Better Call Saul in the living room or my two cats fighting and kicking in my bar cart.
When using the INZONE H9, I can clearly hear every instrument and lyric while listening to Talking Heads’ “The Big Country” with those bad boys, and a top-down listen to Beyonce’s new album, Renaissance , provides a satisfying, punchy beat without blowing my eardrums or otherwise compromising the music. The creepy strings and haunting vocals of “Georgia” by Phoebe Bridgers almost make me cry with these headphones on, I’m not going to lie.
Playing a game of Call of Duty: Warzone, I feel almost superhuman thanks to the quality of the spatial audio and the clarity with which I can pick up and identify footsteps. Playing Elden Ring on the PS5 is also very impressive, as I can easily hear the sounds of a horrible undead creature sneaking up on me and feel more prepared to take them down.
I also like the ability to connect to both my PS5/PC via the USB dongle and my phone via Bluetooth, as I’m often confused by the sound of my phone ringing while gaming. Speaking with my sister on the INZONE H9, however, she pointed out that I sounded rather high-pitched and crackly before falling into the impression of an air traffic controller. I also love being able to listen to music on my phone while walking around The Lands Between, especially since the Bluetooth button lets you skip or replay songs depending on how you press it.
In multiplayer games, one or two of my teammates said my voice sounded a little low even when I adjusted the microphone to its maximum setting, which is a bit disappointing. I sometimes got confused between the “play” and “chat” buttons when trying to adjust the audio for one or the other, but after a while I figured out which was which.
Sony advertises the Inzone H9 as having 32 hours of battery life, but I found it got closer to 30 hours when I used it daily for casual work meetings, listening to music, and gaming. It could have to do with my volume, maybe, or that I sometimes forget to turn it off when I’m away for a few minutes.
Overall, should you buy the Sony INZONE H9?
First of all, this is an expensive headset, so if you’re not looking to spend $300 on a gaming peripheral, the INZONE H9 definitely isn’t for you. And that’s okay – $300 is a lot of money, and there are tons of other cheap gaming headset options that are gentler on your wallet.
If you’re on a healthy budget and looking to treat yourself to something high-end as your next PS5 wireless headset or PC gaming headset, then let’s think a little more about the INZONE H9. If you want to wear it for streaming and are a little embarrassed, I wouldn’t suggest this headset because of the rather large ear cups. I felt really silly wearing it to work meetings, so keep that in mind. If you don’t mind that, however, the sound quality is fantastic.
And if you already own the Sony INZONE M9 monitor and a PS5 and want a nice little family of peripherals to match, then this headset is a no-brainer – it looks good, feels good and sounds awesome.
However, if you’re looking in the $300 range and want a high-quality mic and intense sonic detail at certain levels, this might not be the best choice for you. Instead, consider the Astro A50 or the SteelSeries Arctis 9X.
How we tested the Sony INZONE H9
The Sony INZONE H9 has been my headphone of choice for a month and a half. I wear it everyday, use it for GameRadar meetings, listening to music, watching Hasan Piker’s Twitch streams, and of course gaming. I played Elden Ring, Overwatch, Apex Legends, Warzone, Vampire the Masquerade Bloodhunt, and even a bit of Dark Souls 3 with this headset, and often took phone calls while gaming.
The headset was subjected to absolute ringing prior to this review. It’s also been knocked off my desk twice by my particularly rowdy cat, Radgie, and it works just fine. You can read more about how we test gaming headsets as well as how we make all of our recommendations in GamesRadar+’s full hardware policy.
Tested on PC with a iBuyPower Y60BG201 Gaming PC supplied by iBuyPower and a Sony Inzone M9 monitor supplied by Sony.
To narrow down your choice of wireless headset by console platform, browse our guides to the best ones. PS5 Wireless Headsetsand the best Xbox Series X Wireless Headsets.