Sony INZONE H9 II: Specs, Price, Pros & Cons
Sony built the INZONE H9 II around the driver unit from its WH-1000XM6 music headphones. That is a 30 mm driver with a carbon composite diaphragm, where the first INZONE H9 used a 40 mm unit. The rest is a closed-back wireless gaming headset with noise canceling and an ambient sound mode, in black, white or an orange Fnatic Edition.
The supplied USB-C transceiver carries game sound and voice chat from a PC or a PS5 over a 2.4 GHz link. A phone stays connected over Bluetooth at the same time, so a call comes through without unplugging anything. The GAME/CHAT balance button only works on a computer, with the transceiver's switch set to PC.
The headset weighs about 260 g without its microphone, roughly 70 g less than the first H9. The boom microphone now detaches. Sony gives it a cardioid pattern and AI noise reduction for voice, and the old model's flip-up arm is gone.
A headphone cable comes in the box too, which the first H9 never had. It plays sound even with the battery flat, but noise canceling needs the headset switched on. Plugging the cable in also turns off both wireless links, phone included.
INZONE Hub on a PC holds one equalizer and the spatial sound settings. The Sound Connect phone app writes a second equalizer into the headset itself, and that is the one a PS5 player hears.
Category strengths
Where the Sony INZONE H9 II beats the median
- Much longer battery life from the earbuds ?30 h vs 13 h (median)
- Much deeper bass ?5 Hz vs 15 Hz (median)
- Has low-latency mode ?
Where the Sony INZONE H9 II trails the median
- A much higher impedance ?440 Ω vs 38 Ω (median)
- Smaller audio drivers ?30 mm vs 38 mm (median)
- A heavier build ?260 g vs 213.5 g (median)
- Slightly less treble extension ?20,000 Hz vs 22,000 Hz (median)
How this VS Score was computed
Score 70: each known spec is measured against the median of all headphones (97 products), then weighted. 67% of the scoreable weight could be used. See how we score
| Specification | This product | Cohort median | Score weight | Points moved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active noise cancellation | Yes | 61% of the class have it | 2 | +100.0 |
| Battery life (earbuds) | 30 | 13 | 2 | +100.0 |
| Lowest frequency | 5 | 15 | 1 | +50.0 |
| Spatial audio | Yes | 55% of the class have it | 1 | +50.0 |
| Ambient sound mode | Yes | 67% of the class have it | 1 | +50.0 |
| Customisable EQ app | Yes | 62% of the class have it | 0.5 | +25.0 |
| Touch controls | No | 38% of the class have it | 0.5 | −24.0 |
| Impedance | 440 | 38 | 0.5 | −23.0 |
| Driver size | 30 | 38 | 2 | −22.0 |
| USB-C charging | Yes | 73% of the class have it | 0.3 | +15.0 |
| Low-latency mode | Yes | 26% of the class have it | 0.3 | +15.0 |
| Wired connection option | Yes | 62% of the class have it | 0.3 | +15.0 |
| Weight | 260 | 213.5 | 1 | −9.0 |
| Highest frequency | 20,000 | 22,000 | 1 | −5.0 |
| Bluetooth codecs | 3 | 3 | 1 | +0.0 |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 20 | 20 | 1 | +0.0 |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 | 5.3 | 1 | +0.0 |
| Type | Over-ear | Over-ear | 0.5 | +0.0 |
Not scored: Hi-Res audio (unknown: not scored); Adaptive ANC (unknown: not scored); Passive noise reduction (unknown: not scored); Voice assistant (unknown: not scored); In-ear detection (unknown: not scored); Find my device (unknown: not scored); Battery life (with case) (unknown: not scored); Wireless charging case (unknown: not scored); Fast charging (standard for the class (80% have it)); Multipoint pairing (unknown: not scored); Microphones (unknown: not scored); Foldable (unknown: not scored).
Editor’s note
Sony's spec table rates the battery at up to 30 hours with noise canceling off. With noise canceling on, the help guide lists about 20 hours for game sound and chat. A Bluetooth call on top brings it down to 18.
At four hours an evening, that is a charge about every five evenings with the noise canceling running. Five minutes on the cable buys about an hour of play, enough to finish a match that started on a low battery.
Sony's wearing guide puts the boom microphone level with the chin and within 35 mm of the mouth. Fit the windscreen if breathing noise comes through. If teammates say you sound faint, check that distance first. Sidetone, which feeds your own voice back into the earcups, can be turned up in INZONE Hub or the phone app.
From a phone, the headset streams only SBC, AAC and LC3. The WH-1000XM6 adds LDAC and folds for a bag. For a commute I'd buy the XM6 instead. The driver unit is the same, and the XM6 lacks only the boom microphone and the dongle.
Sony's help guide warns against sweat as well as rain, because the headset is not waterproof.
Specifications
Sound quality
Features
Battery
Connectivity
Comfort
Sources and verification
Where the specifications come from
- Official product pageelectronics.sony.com
- Datasheet or manualhelpguide.sony.net
Verification
- First published
- Specifications last checked
- Sheet completeness
- 24 of 36 specifications verified; the rest show as Unknown and are never estimated or scored
- Page type
- Product specification page — Compiled from the manufacturer’s published specifications and the cited sources; this is not a hands-on test.
- Basis
- Research-based: specifications and editorial text were compiled from the documents listed here and the manufacturer’s published data. We have not tested this unit ourselves; where independent measurements are mentioned they belong to the linked publication.
Where to buy
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Price history
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Ratings & reviews
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The bottom line
The Sony INZONE H9 II earns a VS Score of 70, above the median of the 97 headphones it is measured against (a score of 50 is level with that median).
- Who it’s for
- A PC or PS5 player in a shared room who wants noise canceling and a detachable boom mic, with a phone kept connected over Bluetooth for calls.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone shopping for travel headphones should look elsewhere, because the boom microphone and USB-C dongle are desk gear that a commuter carries for nothing.
- The trade-off that matters
- Noise canceling is the reason to pick it, yet switching it on cuts Sony's advertised battery life by about a third.
- The main alternative
- Sony INZONE H9 Wireless: the first generation, which Sony still sells for less, with noise canceling and 360 Spatial Sound but a heavier frame and no headphone cable.
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