Sony Inzone H9 Review: A Lucky Strike

It was a surprise for us and many when Sony unveiled their new gaming peripheral line-up, INZONE which elevates the experience with the things they are already good at in the market. While the monitors are not available yet in Malaysia, the whole slew of headphones are available for purchase – that said, we are reviewing their top-of-the-line Sony Inzone H9 and at RM1299, this is their crème de la crème.

Sony Inzone H9 Review

Design and Build

1/3

Sony is no stranger in making their products look a lot different from their contenders, which is a big reason why I love their products. Just like how alien their PlayStation 5 looks, the Sony Inzone H9 has an interesting design going on with the same Black and white colourway which somehow reminds me of a panda in this case. Rather than being a flashy gaming headset, the Sony Inzone H9 has a neat oval-ish dimension earcups on both sides with a black-and-white band on top.

Now these earcups are pretty thick and huge, that it might as well be an ear warmer. But because it carries a lot of components and what not, it makes sense as to why it looks the way it does. The build of the Sony Inzone H9 is quite alright really – with nice clicky adjustable bands, a solid and flexible headband and earcups that can be positioned flat enough to keep it in your bags.

It doesn’t collapse like the XM3 which is a bummer, but you can tell from the looks of it that this was never meant to bring along wherever you go – although the ANC element which it does feature says otherwise. (which we will get into in a bit.)

Comfort and Fit

Comfort and fit of this Sony Inzone H9 is nice. Coming from my personal go-to headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM5 which features a new set of memory foam earcups, Sony has equipped these Inzone H9 with the same earcups. Personally, I love how it feels and sits in your ears without any discomfort. These earcups deserve to be on the podium.

Unlike certain premium gaming headsets that tends to have a circular earcups which is a hit and miss in terms of fit, these Sony Inzone H9 went for an oval shaped earcups that would fit anyone and everyone.

The clamping force of this headset is on a rather softer side, I’d say. The headband is pretty thick enough and sits well on the top of my head and the earcups go around my ear that it creates this locking mechanism to which the headset stays put on my head. I didn’t have to extend the bands at all, as it does fit very well.

I can’t say the same for others, but chances are if you do extend the bands, the clamping force might vary – in this case, it might be a bit looser. So, try it out if it’s alright before you make a purchase.

Specification

In terms of specification, given that this is their top-of-the-line gaming headset in the Inzone line-up, the Sony Inzone H9 has some good things going on.

• 40mm Dome Type Neodymium Driver
• Connects via Bluetooth 5.0 or 2.4GHz Dongle simultaneously
• Supports ANC and Ambient Mode
• Supported Codecs via Bluetooth: SBC and AAC
• Foldable Microphone
• Up to 32 hours of Battery Life

App Experience: InZone Hub on PC

Sony made one of the best software for their Gaming headsets that I have ever seen as compared to every other brand out there. Sony’s Inzone Hub is a haven for customizing and altering the audio the way you like. From setting Sound Profiles and customizing granularly via EQ, registering your ears for Spatial Sound Personalization, Dynamic Range Control, ANC controls and Microphone settings, this headphone got everything right in its software.

1/3

Given that the brand has a good presence in the audio department for decades, it’s no surprise that they offer a great level of customizability that one would need for their gaming all the way to entertainment. For the most part, I used the Flat sound profile which I liked over the others and had my Spatial Sound on and off depending on what I am doing.

The Game/Chat balance is such an underrated feature, and I am glad it’s here, as I can chose between the both whenever and however I want.

What’s impressive is that, except for the Sound Profile, you can control the other aspects of the audio on the fly via the controls located in the headset – that’s good. There are other settings you can control too: Device Settings and App Sync Settings.

From a PC Perspective

We are going to start off with the PC Perspective with the Sony Inzone H9 as this gaming headset was initially intended for PC gamers. Pairing with the Inzone Hub which was meant for Windows PC, anyway, made the experience a lot more fruitful. With that said, when I do play games, I play with friends and that’s usually when I play with my headsets.

So, launching Discord is a need for better communication. To be honest, any headphones work well with Discord and having this Discord Certified to know that it’s going to work is like stating the obvious.

Otherwise, gaming on this headset is fun, personally I did love the lift up to mute microphones, which we have seen before on a Logitech headset. While there is that doubt if its working or not, Sony has this interesting feature that the moment the microphone toggles, you can hear yourself faintly to know that the mic is active.

Otherwise, it vanishes the moment you close it. I like it. For PC, it was simple and the settings via Inzone Hub worked on the fly quickly. There were times I wanted to charge as I play and sure enough you can do it with these Inzone H9.

From a PS5 Perspective

The dongle which comes pre-included with the Inzone H9 has a switch to toggle between PC and PS5. Right after you toggle, the PS5 detects the Inzone H9 has a proper suited headset for the PS5. What that means is that the controls on the headphones are in sync with the PlayStation and it indicates on the screen just like how Sony Pulse 3D does: so, your Mute, unmute, Chat/Game Audio Priority and volume – all appears on screen.

What I do like the most is the intricate detail Sony do not miss and that’s the LED indicator on the controller which also goes amber when you mute the mic. I personally enjoyed how the experience with the Inzone H9 was tailored for the PS5 more so than the PC. Oh, and if you are a fan of the 360 Spatial Audio on PS5, it works – it’s cool.

Audio and Active Noise Cancellation is Good

Moving to the two most important aspect of this gaming headphone. Let’s start with the Audio Quality.

Now the thing about a good gaming headset is that it doesn’t have the colour or to put it in lay words, it has better neutral sound staging and for a good reason. So, if you want to play the most intense bass thumping music, the Inzone H9 in this case does a good job in keeping things clean and nice.

The highs and mids are pronounced with the low end being clear. The bass is there but it’s nowhere near to an Extra Bass or their 1000XM5 for that matter. From a gaming perspective, this is where it gets interesting.

When I played Doom Eternal, which is my choice of game to test pretty much a lot of things – the audio was clear, concise, and precise. The location as to where the vocals are coming from, the enemies, or in this case, the demons shooting is a lot clearer than I expected.

To be honest, I kind of want a bit more oomph factor out of these. The lack of a subtle bass even with bass boost turned on is a wee bit disappointing when their budget Inzone H3 does a good job at it. But if you are playing indie games with good OST, it is one amazing headset – like how I immersed myself in Monument Valley.

ANC on the Inzone H9 is pretty good – although don’t expect it to be intense or on par with a WH-1000XM5 – different product, different intensiveness. The ANC on the Inzone H9 hits a sweet spot with the Noise Cancelling not too over the top to give you a nauseating or headache and not too weak that you can still hear your surroundings.

Living in a condo for myself, is a headache as the renovation noise from the neighbours can be a bit too bothersome. During those times, the ANC drowned enough for me to enjoy my games.

The Ambient Mode is amazing, there are no other words to say as Sony does a good job in keeping the outside world connected from their previous experiences of making headphones with the same modes.

Microphone Test

Finally, we have the microphone test. The Sony Inzone H9 has a Boom Microphone with a focus on Voice. You can hear our sample in the clip below. Let us know what you think of the Microphone voice.

Conclusion

After using it for a good four weeks, from being stuck at home in Quarantine, all the way to recovering from it and getting back into gaming – this Sony Inzone H9 was a great company for gaming and even for occasional music listening experience. And the thing is, it’s more than that, their flagship gaming headset made for both PC and PS5.

I am still in awe as to how well this does as compared to the many gaming headsets we have reviewed in the past. Sony got the software experience right, the audio right and the mic good for a first try (although I’d like to see some improvements).

But for many the Sony Inzone H9 is a luxury of a product to own as its not cheap and cost a cool RM 1299 respectively. If you are a gaming enthusiast that needs a gaming headphone with ANC to play on the move, this is as good as it gets.

If ANC matters very little, or not at all, I’d suggest you settle for the H7 which strikes a good balance in every department sans ANC. Nonetheless, this Sony Inzone H9 gets a gold for getting many things right in the first try. Other gaming headsets should feel threatened as it only gets better from here with Sony making gaming peripherals.