Sony isn’t so known for its PC gaming accessories, but it’s trying to change that by leveling up and broadening its Inzone line with five new accessories. These include the upgraded flagship Inzone H9 II wireless headset ($350), Inzone E9 in-ear monitors ($150), Inzone KBD-H75 keyboard ($300), the Inzone Mouse-A gaming mouse ($150) and two mousepads, all of which were developed in collaboration with the prominent esports team Fnatic, and are optimized for first-person shooters. They’re available now for preorder and ships on Sept. 5.
At a preview event in New York, a few CNET editors got to play around with the new accessories, and I’ve been testing the Inzone H9 II headset for a few days at home. It has the same drivers as Sony’s flagship $450 WH-1000XM6 headphones and comes with a low-latency 2.4 GHz USB-C dongle that allows you to use the headset wirelessly with Sony’s PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 (it also has Bluetooth connectivity). The H9 II is equipped with active noise canceling and a new detachable boom microphone (the original H9’s boom mic was not detachable).
Weighing 260 grams and featuring a redesigned headband «structure» that reduces pressure on the top of your head, the first thing you notice about the headset is how light and comfortable it is. Part of me wishes the WH-1000XM6 were designed like this, but the headset doesn’t fold up like the XM6 does (it just folds flat). I did like the soft carrying pouch that’s included — it has a side pocket for the boom microphone, dongle and corded cable. I also liked the layout of the control buttons, which include a scroll wheel for volume control and a mic mute button at the top of the left ear cup that’s easy to locate by feel.
Sony’s touting the Super Wide Band microphone’s performance, saying it can deliver clearer, more natural sound and also filter out background noise with «AI-optimized precision» so teammates can hear your voice better. Also, the Inzone Hub for PC gaming allows you to adjust your audio profile and EQ settings with virtual 7.1-channel surround sound and 360 spatial sound. Battery life is rated at up to 30 hours on a single charge.
From my few days using the Inzone H9 II, it seems like a substantial upgrade from the original H9, which sells for as low as $190 on Amazon. I’m a fan of Sony’s Pulse Elite gaming headset for the PlayStation 5, which features planar magnetic drivers and only costs $150. But the Inzone H9 II has better build quality and is a swankier headset overall.
My co-worker Tyler Graham was impressed with the H9 II’s noise canceling, but had some gripes with the volume control and microphone performance. At the launch event for the new Inzone accessories, he played a couple of pick-up games of Marvel Rivals while waiting for our colleague Mike Sorrentino to join him at the mock internet cafe Sony had set up. While playing, he looked over and was startled to find Mike sitting 5 foot away from him, trying to get his attention. Tyler said he literally couldn’t hear anything except for enemy footsteps and ultimate voicelines throughout the game.
Once Mike got set up to play, they tested the microphone functionality. With the the H9 II Wireless Headset designed in collaboration Fnatic for pro-level play, it’s supposed to hold up during LAN parties like the one at the launch event. But they only found the microphone performance serviceable in the noisy environment.
«While Mike’s voice came through crisp and clear, I noticed that the mic didn’t do a great job of filtering out the cafe’s ambient music and chatter,» Tyler recounted. «So we opted to turn the open mic off in favor of push-to-talk, which isn’t the best for making important callouts during a match. Aside from that, I thought that the audio control scroll wheel was finicky and didn’t provide an accurate way to quickly adjust sound levels on the fly. I instead found myself fiddling with the volume settings in-game, which could waste precious seconds of time during a heated ranked match. I’m sure this would be mitigated on a personal rig where you’ve already spent your time finding your favorite settings, but it was an annoying hiccup to sort out on the internet cafe’s PCs.»
When I was playing with the USB-C dongle on the Switch 2 and PS5, I didn’t have an issue with the volume control and I didn’t have to fiddle around with the volume much during a few gaming sessions on my PC.
Once the headset ships, we’ll do some more microphone testing to see whether Tyler’s experience was an anomaly related to Sony’s set up at the launch event or an actual issue. Sony’s WH-1000XM6 has stellar noise-reduction for voice-calling, as does the Sony Pulse Elite gaming headset, so it would be surprising if the H9 II didn’t. However, I didn’t try to make calls with WH-1000XM6 or use the Pulse Elite headset in a room full of chattering people at a launch party.
