The Sony Inzone H9 II has the drivers of a WH-1000XM6 in the body of a gaming headset
The Inzone H9 II headset and Inzone E9 IEMs are the latest audio products in Sony’s gaming brand
Alongside the new Inzone desktop peripherals that were also recently launched, Sony’s in-house gaming brand is refreshing its audio lineup, with a new flagship Inzone H9 II headset and the Inzone E9 wired IEMs.
These new products, Sony noted, were made with feedback from the esports group Fnatic, who had their hands in shaping the audio tuning and design of the H9 II and E9.
The Inzone H9 II uses the same drivers as the WH-1000XM6, and weighs 260g.
Beginning with the Inzone H9 II, this is the sequel to the original H9 headset that kicked off the Inzone line three years ago. And it’s another showcase of Sony flexing its audio muscle in the gaming space, as the H9 II contains the same drivers found in the WH-1000XM6, the company’s latest mainstream ANC headphones.
Speaking of which, the H9 II does have noise cancellation abilities of its own via a dual noise sensor technology; if it’s anything like past Sony headphones and earbuds, that points to two separate microphones for capturing background noise to cancel out.
Like its predecessor, the H9 II also comes with a cardioid boom mic that can be adjusted and detached. While there are some hardware improvements, in this case a wider frequency response, Sony says that the microphone relies on AI for optimising its sound, specifically by more intelligently rejecting ambient noise.
Other gaming-focused features include 360 Spatial Sound and support for virtual 7.1-channel audio, though you will need the Inzone Hub app to enable these features. Finally, while the H9 II can be connected via a traditional four-pole headphone jack, it also has wireless capability via a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle and Bluetooth 5.3. In the latter case, the H9 II supports Bluetooth LE Audio, though it can’t do lossless audio, unfortunately. You’ll only find SBC and AAC support here.
The Inzone E9 are the gaming brand’s first pair of wired IEMs.
Moving on to the Inzone E9, Sony makes it clear that this was designed primarily for FPS gaming, being tuned specifically for better in-game spatial awareness (with special emphasis on being able to pick up footsteps, reload and distant sounds).
The Inzone E9 also comes with what Sony calls a “USB-C audio box”, which might look similar to other USB-C DACs, but is what enables the E9’s 360 Spatial Sound capabilities and virtual 7.1ch audio (though you’ll also need the Inzone Hub app to enable the latter).
Sony took care not to call it a USB DAC, instead choosing the term ‘audio box’. Though, to be fair, it’s what gives the Inzone E9 some of its gaming-centric features.
The IEMs are also designed with a focus on passive noise isolation, to make up for the lack of ANC. Aside from the fully-enclosed shell, the E9 also comes with four different sizes of foam or silicone hybrid eartips.
Finally, both the Inzone H9 II and Inzone E9 will be available in black and white colourways, and while we’re talking about colours, we should mention that the Inzone H3, the brand’s base-tier headset, will also be getting a new black colourway.
Pricing and Availability
The Sony Inzone E9 will be available from end September, while the Inzone H9 II and black H3 headsets will be available starting October. There’s no word on local pricing yet, though we do know the US pre-order pricing: US$349.99 for the H9 II and US$149.99 for the E9.