H9 Inzone Gaming Headset Worth Buying?
Inzone are Sonys foray into the high-end sector of gaming headsets, and while they are targeted at PC & PS5 personally I think their main audience is going to be PS5 gamers like myself. My review is solely based on PS5 use not PC.
The H9 model is the top end of the Inzone gaming headset range and for the extra cost you get Sonys noise cancelling/ambient sound technology. But is it worth paying out extra for them?
Packaging in all new branding for this the outside of the box looks good its bold and colourful but inside the box its your usual headset set up and honestly theyve missed a point by not at least supplying a dust bag to keep them in.
Build quality and yes its all made of plastic and only available in one colour but its good quality plastic, tough and durable and thats a good thing because it keeps the weight down. They feel solid and well built with the soft leatherette ear cups and adjustable headband for a comfortable fit that allows players to use them for hours at a time. Yes the ear cups are big but fit well and even with my small head and ears they sit comfortable and honestly you dont feel they are there and they dont move around or are uncomfortable at all. I love the pivoting and swivel hinges on the cups allowing them to sit flat when not in use either on your neck or on a table surface, wish they had done this with the 3D Pulse headphones. The LED lights by the hinges are a nice touch; they are white when connected to your wireless dongle and blue when connecting via Bluetooth. The microphone is a bit on the big size but doesnt get in the way when either in use or pushed up out of the way and again its reasonably well made and solid with a little bit of pliability to allow you to move it towards your mouth when in use and yes I know its not removable but for me thats not an issue. And the flip to mute makes life so much easier and you have the added click sound to know when its off.
Controls on the cups are well placed, solid and are not intrusive apart from the volume wheel, which is more prominent to make life easier. So on the left side is the volume control wheel, which is a great idea its easy to reach and works well, then on the same side is the noise cancelling and ambient sound button and everyone knows how good this works on Sonys headphones and this is no exception it works very well on these. Finally on the left side is the USB C charging port and the microphone is also situated on the left side cup.
On the right side is the power button, the game and chat button and the Bluetooth button and while where mentioning the Bluetooth button I have got to say well done Sony for allowing me to connect these headphones to other Bluetooth devices and the ones I have tried have connected without any issues.
Sound quality is what you would expect from Sony I have had no issues while gaming or using it to listen to music or making calls the controls for volume and noise cancelling are quick to respond with no distortion or dropouts. And the microphone is crisp and clear while either gaming or on phone calls. The easy to reach volume wheel make life easier to quickly adjust the volume especially while gaming if things get a little hectic and loud. The ANC works great especially while making and receiving calls and if you are gaming with other external noise in the background and the quick on and off button access allows seamless interaction with anyone when required.
Battery life is pretty good at 32 hours although I have been getting just under 30 hours which is pretty decent, the only down side is no low battery indicator on the headset and once onscreen its just a guesstimate of what is left a proper battery percentage would be much more preferable.
So to answer the question are they worth the cost? If money is no object to afford them then yes they are but me personally I would go for the H7 version you get nearly all the same benefits bar the ANC the build quality is pretty much the same apart from cloth instead of leatherette head band & ear cups. No difference with the sound quality and the battery life is better due to the lack of ANC capability. So it all comes down to personal choice and what you would prefer from your headset and what else you might use them for, battery life over ANC?
Saying all that its a good first attempt at the high end gaming headset market for Sony and we know they never get it 100% right the first time so lets see what the future brings and the tweaks they will apply for their next generation and hopefully a selection of colour choices rather than just white?
