Hardware Review: Sony INZONE H9 II - The Perfect Gaming Headset?

For the last month, we’ve been trying out the new Sony INZONE H9 IIs, a pair of premium headphones from Sony (of course) that supposedly offer “unrivalled clarity”. Well, we put that to the test to find out if the H9 II is actually worth its £300 price tag.

What Is The Sony INZONE H9 II?

The Sony INZONE H9 II is a wireless noise-cancelling headset from Sony, and the successor to the already brilliant 2022 original. It utilises a USB-C dongle to connect to your PS5 with ease, along with PCs. However, it also features Bluetooth connectivity and a 3.5mm audio jack if you fancy a wired connection. A big standout feature is the boom mic, which is flexible and detachable.

All of this will set you back £299.99/$349.99, making the H9 II a pretty pricey headset.

What’s In The Box?

Opening the H9 II’s box reveals the headset itself, the microphone detached, a charging USB-C to C cable, a 3.5mm headphone jack, some branded stickers, and a little carry pouch.

There’s no faff with the setup, just plug in your dongle and turn on your headset. We had it up and running within 30 seconds of pulling it out of the box.

Build Quality and Hardware Features

The INZONE H9 II adopts a very lightweight design. It’s rocking a fairly flexible band from cup to cup, with a thin yet effective padding around the top of the head. It’s super easy to adjust the size of the headband to your liking.

The cups are utilising a fabric material over the faux leather of the original H9s, making for a far more breathable material overall. On the head, it feels very light, but is also a lot sturdier and more secure than its predecessor.

The left ear cup is where the USB-C charging port is located, along with the 3.5mm audio jack, the mic slot, a switch between noise-cancelling and ambient sound modes, a volume rocker, and at the top of the cup, a mute button.

On the right ear cup, there is the volume button, which can be tapped to notify you of battery life, a Bluetooth pairing button, and a balance switch for game and party chat.

The USB-C dongle makes the whole thing plug-and-play. There’s a switch between PC and “other”, which you would use for the likes of your PS5. Other than that, everything you really need with the H9 II is baked into those cups.

You don’t need to fiddle around with software menus or anything. Although of course, the PS5 has plenty of audio profile options if you are so inclined.

Our favourite hardware feature of the H9 II is the detachable boom mic. Being able to remove the mic, along with the headset’s slick black design, means it can easily be used as a regular pair of headphones.

Quite often, gaming headsets look like gaming headsets, and you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing them out in public. But they are also really expensive, so are you really going to buy two pairs of headphones? Well, the H9 II’s look means you don’t even need to ask that question. It doesn’t need to be just a gaming headset, giving you a bit more bang for your buck.

However, when the mic is hooked up, the voice quality is a severe upgrade over the original H9s and other headsets that we’ve tested around that price range. The first time we joined a party with the H9 II, we got comments about the crispness of our audio.

Making things even better is that the mic has an excellent ambient noise filter, so the likes of breath or external noise are eradicated here. Admittedly, this reviewer can be a bit of a mouth-breather when locking in with certain games. The H9 picked up every bit of that breath, but the H9 II cut it all out.

The Audio Experience

The Sony INZONE H9 II is a solid audio experience for those who love immersing themselves in video game worlds. We played through Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s DLC From The Ashes with this headset, and were able to hear every little bit of audio details as we explored the bioluminescent rainforest.

It's not a huge step-up from the original H9s from an audio perspective — it's maybe a bit richer — so that may cause some hesitation for those who already own a pair of H9s or something similar.

However, that isn't really a bad thing. The H9's audio was the best thing about that headset, so essentially Sony has taken that excellent audio and fit it into a more comfortable headset — one that excels with the most minute audio details. It does do well with action-heavy games too, like Battlefield 6 or ARC Raiders, although the headset is noticeably quieter than its predecessor.

Thanks to noise cancelling, however, you’ll never really have an issue with loudness. The H9 II has three levels of noise-cancelling strength, meaning you can listen out for the doorbell when you’ve got a takeaway on the way, or you could just shut out everything to completely immerse yourself. We don't think the noise-cancelling is quite as effective as in its predecessor, although we put that down to the lighter design.

Should You Buy The Sony INZONE H9 II?

While we think the Sony INZONE H9 II is pushing it with its £300 price tag, there’s no denying that you’re getting a best-in-class experience.

The audio is incredible, and while it’s not a massive upgrade over its predecessor, practically everything else about it is. This is a much more comfortable headset, with a lightweight and breathable design that’s perfect for longer sessions. The microphone is leagues beyond what was offered in the original H9, and ensures you are sounding crisp, clear, and free of external sounds.

But what we think really pushes the H9 II over the edge is its design. You’re getting a great audio experience for your commute, the office, the gym, and it just so happens to be a phenomenal gaming headset too. Not too shabby.

What do you think of the Sony INZONE H9 II? Does its sleek design win you over? How about that microphone? Sound off in the comments below.