Sony Inzone H9 Gaming Headphones Review: Comfortable and Great

Not happy with applying AV and console know-how to the new dedicated Inzone gaming monitor (see flagship models here), Sony has also announced a new trio of Inzone gaming headphones.

More details on this new headphone range can be found in a news article posted late tonight, but Sony sent us a new set of £ 269 / US $ 299.99H9. Lifting the embargo on Inzone News. So I wanted to see how Sony’s new flagship game can would be shaped.

To get started, they look cool. An impressive combination of matt white for the outer can, outer headband and built-in flip-on / off microphone, and black leather and trim for the ear pads and headband pad. There is also a thin LED circle around the point where the headband is attached to the can, and if it’s like you, you can give off a cool LED lighting effect.

The appearance of the H9, of course, matches the PS5 quite nicely. Not surprisingly, the H9 is specially designed with a PC. A USB dongle is included with the headphones and has a PS5 / PC slider switch on the side so you can use the headphones with your chosen game source.

Perhaps, of course, note that the Xbox Series X or S H9 isn’t supported. One of the new Inzone headphones available on the Xbox is the entry-level H3 series, thanks to the 3.5mm jack. However, the H3 can still only deliver Xbox sound in stereo.

In addition, a USB charging cable is attached to the side of the headphones, and the H9 is evaluated to be usable for up to 32 hours on a full charge. If you listen to the game as loud as my tendency, this is probably a bit optimistic.

You can use your headphones while charging, or you can “quickly charge” your headphones during an instant gaming session. Just plug it in from the flat for 10 minutes and you’ll get about an hour of playback time before you need to charge it. Also.

The boom mic design allows you to place the business part close to your mouth and capture your mouth cleanly and clearly. Also, because the microphone is bidirectional, you can reduce external noise while capturing the wearer’s voice well. Mike is clearly Discord certified.

In addition to the inevitable power button, the H9 has a rotating volume wheel, a button to balance the sound of the game and chat, a Bluetooth button if you want to go that route for team chat, NC / AMB It has a marked button. Associated with one of the coolest features of headphones. You can switch between full noise canceling mode and “ambient sound” mode to hear external sounds such as doorbells and the voice of an infant who wants to collide. At your game time.

Both of these modes work great. Noise canceling, in particular, provides immersive shutout from the outside world, with results that do not sound unnatural or claustrophobic, as is the case with uncluttered NC systems. Keep in mind that using the noise canceling feature will shorten the battery life of your headphones.

This is Sony, and the H9 is designed to support 360 spatial sounds instead of the Dolby Atmos sounds that many PC games support. I’m not entirely convinced that it’s a great idea for Sony to take its own path in both music and PS5 when developing its own 360-degree spatial sound format, but at the same time, these spatial sounds. The system is seriously good.

If you are using the H9 on your PC, you can use the 360 ​​Spatial Sound for Gaming software to apply a personalized auditory profile to the H9. This evaluates the individual characteristics of the ear and adjusts the effects of the virtualization process for a more accurate and realistic spatial effect.

The headphones themselves have been developed using Sony’s acclaimed high-end music headphone technology to provide full-fledged sound quality for the sensation of 3D space, which is crucial for an immersive game audio experience. I hope I can do it.

Aside from hopefully sounding great, the next important thing about a set of gaming headphones is how comfortable they are. And here, I have to say, Sony broke it from the park. The H9s earpads are made of gorgeous soft-fit leather and are not sticky or sticky. It fits comfortably in your ears, so you almost forget you’re there. Hours and hours. In fact, they’re basically the same earpads as Sony’s acclaimed high-end WH-1000XM5 Hi-Fi headphones, with a large facial contact area that helps distribute pressure more evenly.

The headband cushion is beautiful and thick and provides a moderate amount of give so it is not too tight or too loose. The can and its support hinges do not feel because they are specially designed to provide “optimal” lateral pressure. Don’t feel like they’re about to fall, but also they’re squeezing your head or ears.And used the H9 for some stupid long stints Elden Ring As part of my, uh, really, really, really hard life test, they are one of the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever used for games and music. Includes many other models I have tested for “work” over the years.

Fortunately, the H9 also sounds great. The first thing that hits you is how huge they are, and at the same time they sound effortlessly powerful and dynamic.Opening menu score Call of Duty: Cold War Not only the ears but also the head is filled and wrapped with a surprisingly rich, clear, but realistically detailed mix of drums, synths and strings, making you feel like you’re awake in the midst of an orchestra. Become. ..

There is no jarring or “roll-off” even in the highest treble, and even more striking bass can lose lightness, become loose, pay too much attention to yourself, and hemming in. It grows incredibly deeply without slackening.

In addition, the midrange is perfectly extended to fill the huge space between these amazingly processed treble and bass, creating a fantastically organic and huge sound stage. Cash on deliveryMilitarist atmosphere.

The situation gets even better once you actually start playing.A walk to the helicopter at the start Cash on Delivery: Cold WarFractured Jaw level offers an amazing showcase of what Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound can do. Both large and small sound effects are placed with absolute precision on the left, right, front, back, and above all. You (especially when two helicopters take off and fly overhead from right to left).

While gaining a whole new reputation for the sound design of premium titles played on the H9, and more importantly, it’s actually even more engaging in gameplay.

The accuracy of the placement of the effects is also not completely gradual due to the movements that may occur during play. For example, when rotated during the opening “walk” of Fractured Jaw, all carefully placed effects transition perfectly seamlessly in all directions and continue to accurately track to the correct auditory position.

The first few hours of using the H9 are worth just spinning in different places. You can also understand how well the H9 creates a sense of size in different 3D locations.

The conversation is beautifully processed and always sounds clean, but the context is properly and accurately placed, but the narration actually seems to come from inside the head rather than from an external speaker or random location. increase.

In fact, it’s hard to explain, but it’s the H9’s ability to create a seamless spatial sensation both inside and outside the head, making it a very good set of gaming headphones.

The accuracy of the effect’s placement and scale of position is also very helpful when locating nearby enemies and shootings, and feels like an affair. Or in my case, thankfully accept an extra bit of help that is terribly needed.

The H9 feels great in game audio, but it’s also a great headphone for listening to movies.Dolby Atmos Truck this Playing from the PS5’s 4K Blu-ray drive, the 4K Blu-ray enjoys stunning 360 spatial staging again, even though the headphones don’t support native Dolby Atmos playback. The sound skillfully pans from side to side, rainfall occurs overhead, the soundtrack’s giant drones and rumble swell with a sense of height and volume expansion, and different elements of the mix are at different distances from the ears. It looks like it is. A feeling of width far beyond the action on the screen. As the mixer intended.

The vocals on the screen are trapped in my head, and the feeling that different spaces are created is as intense as it is technically noteworthy.

If you’re dissatisfied with a movie’s performance, the voice may sound a bit artificial and overemphasized, but to some extent it’s just a factor in the amazing clarity of the headphones.

The H9s are great music headphones that wipe out the cleanliness and splendor. In reality, it may be better than better. Especially by the standards of the gaming headphone market, tuning to gaming audio is first and foremost performed. Sony’s claim that it delved into the technology of the music headphone division when assembling the H9 seems to be more than just a marketing hype.

On stereo tracks, vocals are skillfully staged, basses of all levels are skillfully provided at good timing and without a sense of separation, subtle effects are always provided with exactly the right amount of emphasis, and stereo effects are widespread. They are placed, but not so many they sound like they have lost their cohesion.

As you can imagine, if you can feed some tracks mastered for the 360 ​​Spatial Audio format to the H9, this musicality will be a whole different level of audio glare.

I’m probably obliged to report that the right can had a slight buzz when the pre-production H9 produced a deep or “hard” sound at a very loud volume. However, this wasn’t repeated remotely in the left can, so this issue wasn’t audible to anyone else who bought these powerful headphones, and was due to a slight flaw in a particular sample 99.9%. I’m confident.

So basically, others who buy a set of H9 hear almost nothing but pure awesomeness than I’ve experienced myself.

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