Gaming: Breaking Sony Inzone H9 Ii Review

The Inzone H9 II is a very lightweight, very accomplished gaming headset, and for that it deserves its stars. The price tag, though, pushes it into low-end audiophile territory—and it's there where the Sony set can't quite keep up.

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You can get a lot of gaming headset for under $300. Or, if you're willing to max out that figure, you can scoop up our top audiophile headphones pick, the Audeze Maxwell, complete with its pricey-yet-stunning planar magnetic drivers.

Or, for $50 more, you can buy the Sony Inzone H9 II. Having seen the $350 price tag before receiving my review sample, I braced myself for the arrival of some really high-end audio gear. I thought of the Maxwell's aluminum and steel chassis, the space-age drivers, and the feeling that your money had gone on something boutique. I anticipated the delivery with relish.

You can imagine my surprise when what I pulled from the box looked… fairly ordinary. Dull, even. More than that, the weight threw me for a loop the second I wrenched the set from its cardboard insert. The Inzone H9 II feels astonishingly light. Almost to the point of suspicion, if I'm honest. I'm used to ultralight gaming mice for premium prices, but light-as-a-feather wireless gaming headsets? Initially, it feels a little flimsy. Hollow, even.

Then there's the headband. It doesn't look (nor feel) like the sort of plush skull-rester you might expect for this sort of cash. It's essentially a thin, fabric-covered outer band, mirrored by a pleather-encased strip of elastic for suspension atop your dome. There are some nice design details upon closer inspection, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Some serious weight savings have obviously been made here, but at what cost?

Style: Closed backDrivers: 30 mm carbon compositeFrequency response: 5 - 20,000 HzMicrophone: Cardioid condenserBattery life: 30 hours (ANC off)Connection: 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.3Extras: Noise cancellingWeight: 260 g (w/out mic)Price: $350/£299

All of this negativity changed, however, when I put the Inzone H9 II on for the first time. The gentle clamping force, in combination with the soft foam earcups and the exceptionally low weight (a mere 260 g without the microphone), means that the H9 II is remarkably comfortable.

Since receiving my review unit, I've worn t

Source: PC Gamer