What makes a good gaming headset? Is it the quality of sound? Is it how snug and comfortable it feels? Or is it how low latency it can be? If you are a gamer like me, you know that we need all of these features coming together, and more!
For the past two weeks, I have been using Sony’s latest offering in the gaming headset space, the INZONE H9 II. The INZONE brand has a strong base of fans. But is it worth the hype? Let’s see how it performed in an array of punishment I put it through over the course of a fortnight.
The INZONE H9 II, or WH-G910N for Sony puritans, is a multi-platform noise-cancelling professional gaming headset with 2.4Ghz wireless connectivity for low latency gaming, Bluetooth 5.3 supporting A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP, TMAP, CSIP, MCP, VCP, CCP profiles along with SBC, AAC, and LC3 codecs. It comes in black and white, and I tested the white one, priced at ₹34,990 but finally out at ₹28,990, which paired well with my silver laptops and my white PlayStation 5.
The headset is light, just 260g without the microphone attachment, and the slider-lock mechanism on a rather comfortable headband makes for a comfortable fit.
But the true winners are the absolutely delightful ear cushions that comfortably cut out almost every speck of sound with the Noise Cancellation mode ON. Good news for spectacle wearers, the cushions do not force the earstems press painfully into your skull—something even other Sony headsets haven’t accounted for.
The INZONE H9 II swiftly replaced my Marshall Major IV as the primary music listening gadget for the past ten days. Here is where Sony’s proprietary driver unit burned bright! Yes, the INZONE H9 II has the same 30mm driver unit as the famed WH-1000XM6!
The mids and the bass were amazing, even on the default setting. However, trebles were not as impressive as I would have liked them. They needed a bit of tweaking of the equaliser to get close to how I wanted them. The process, however, was easy—using the Sony Sound Connect App on the phone or the INZONE Hub on Windows. Both apps are intuitive and easy to figure out.
However, the absence of a native MacOS app and a Linux app bugged me, given that even Steam has moved away from a Windows-only dependency when it comes to gaming. Plus, it sounds like an odd choice given that INZONE H9 II is not compatible with the Xbox.
Work and play settings
The INZONE H9 II worked great during my flow state writing marathons and work. I even attended a few Zoom and MS Teams meetings last week, and the microphone, which came as a handy attachment to the left of the headset, showed its potential.
Colleagues on Zoom noted much clearer volume when I used the mic attachment when connected via the wireless 2.4Ghz dongle. The attachment itself is a nimble USB-C black dongle, with a toggle for “PC” and “Others”. The latter came into play when I powered up my PlayStation 5.
Here is where it hit it out of the park. Blockbusters like Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, Witcher III, and The Last of Us Part 2, which also have some of the best SFX and soundtracks, became part of my test bench. I also threw in some FC25, Fortnite, and eFootball for some co-op goodness, and the surprise entry GoW Sons of Sparta (Review Coming Soon!) to check how retro sounds were captured.
But we had to properly test the ANC. One chaotic news day in the newsroom was enough to see the noise cancellation in action. Then, we headed to a crowded gaming cafe to check if that would hinder our gaming experience—I ended up playing the first hour of Black Myth: Wukong without ever knowing that a ‘FIFA’ challenge was happening beside me.
After playing these on the PS5 after Steam, it felt that Sony-to-Sony integration was a bit better. Mind you, the PC games ran beautifully with almost zilch latency issues on the INZONE H9 II. I liked it, but once you switched on the 360-degree surround, it became another beast!
Most of my gaming was on the PS5, so I kept the headphones on for longer hours. Sony promises 30-hour battery life at one full charge with noise cancellation. And a quick 5-min charge will give juice to last for an hour. So, it wasn’t really much of a hassle.
Now, let’s talk build. The left cup features a handy Volume Control roller, a noise cancellation toggle button, a USB-C charging port, a charging indicator LED, a 3.5mm jack, and the microphone input jack. The right cup has the power button snuggled into a dip (kudos to accessibility there!), a Bluetooth button, LEDs for Bluetooth and power, and a Game/Chat button.
The Game/Chat button was a handy feature—it lowered the chat volume and lifted the game volume with a click, and vice versa. However, using it in high-stakes co-op moments was a task. I wish it were a single toggle switch instead.
Overall, the build quality and features were good. The unboxing experience was something I loved. The box contained a headphone cable, a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging, a USB-C 2.4 Ghz transceiver, and a very useful pouch.
The LE Audio I tested on an Android also delivered some more punch. And the 3.5mm connectivity was so good with the gold-plated four-pole mini plug, it streamed most of my lossless audio on my laptop for a straight week (look, guys, no need to charge!). I enjoyed this experience.
However, the elephant in the room was the high price tag. For close to ₹29K, Sony could have made a sturdier gadget. This, and the treble performance, were my only issues with the H9 II. In fact, if this were a tad less expensive, these issues could be written off, for every other spec and feature is top-notch for gaming.
With the INZONE brand, Sony is attempting to bridge the gap between high-performance music headsets and professional gaming headsets. And it almost works, except I found searching for my in-ear headphones to switch to whenever calls came, because the mic was not always connected to the INZONE while chilling on the phone. It is not really a negative—in fact, the positives of a separate high-performance unidirectional microphone outweigh that of an internal mic, and I am all for it!
So, what is my verdict? The Sony INZONE H9 II is a great headset for gaming professionals and enthusiasts alike. The Sony driver delivers the punch. It is intuitive and works well with gaming laptops and PlayStation, and the fit is light and super comfortable after long gaming sessions. Sony’s decision to include FNATIC while conceptualising this device shows, and I’m all for it. But this godly performer all comes at a price tag that suddenly takes a Leviathan Axe to its overall value for money.
If you ever spot a discount, the Sony INZONE H9 II is a great buy for your gaming journey. I know I will. The features and the seamless connectivity outweigh the hiccups. After all, what makes a good gaming headset? You shouldn’t even realise you are wearing it—this one delivers, and how!