Sony has launched a new INZONE brand along with three new H-series headsets designed with gamers in mind. The new INZONE brand is one that Sony is directly using to compete with existing products in the gaming accessory market and will eventually include monitors as well as headphones. However, while the monitors are not set to arrive until later in the year, the headphones are ready for your consideration now.
The gaming headphone industry is an important and growing market. Although there are plenty of good quality headphones already available to buy, gamers often need additional features to really maximize the experience. This is why there are plenty of gamer-specific headsets from multiple brands including HyperX, Logitech, SteelSeries and Razer, among others. Adding to that list, those serious about improving their listening experience while gaming now have the option of picking up one of Sony’s INZONE sets of headphones.
Sony is releasing three new models for consumers to choose from. The INZONE H3 is the entry-level option priced at $99. From there, consumers can opt to upgrade to the H7 headphones with the price increasing to $229. For those interested in the best experience possible, Sony is offering the $299 H9 headphones. As these are all part of the same 'H' family, they do share many similarities. For example, all three models are designed to work with both PC and PlayStation 5, and all three support spatial audio. As the price difference does clearly imply, there are also some major differences between them as well.
Choosing Between The H3, H7 And H9 Headphones
Starting at the top of the chain, the INZONE H9 headphones are going to be the best option for those wanting the most versatile and comfortable headphones. The INZONE H9 boast support for Bluetooth connections making it possible to wirelessly connect to a gaming machine. Further building on this, the H9 headphones are also capable of connecting to two Bluetooth devices at the same time. For example, it is possible to take a phone call on a smartphone over Bluetooth while gaming and continuing to hear the in-game audio. The H9 headphones also make use of soft fit leather to improve comfort when worn and this also goes some way to helping to improve sound insulation as well. According to Sony, this is the same soft fit leather used on its WH-1000XM5 noise canceling headphones. Speaking of which, the H9's real individual selling point is the digital noise cancelling. Considering Sony’s track record with noise canceling on the WH-1000X series headphones, this in itself may be a reason to pick these headphones up. Similar to the soft leather, Sony claims the H9 noise canceling has been inherited from the WH-1000X series headphones, so users can expect a similar experience.
Although the INZONE H7 also support Bluetooth connections, the ability to connect to multiple devices at the same time, and spatial sound, they do sacrifice digital noise cancelling and the soft leather in favor of reducing the cost. At the same time, the INZONE H7 headphones do offer an up to 40-hour battery life which is better than the 32 hours provided by the more expensive H9 headphones. If battery life is important and noise canceling isn't then the H7 headphones might be the better buy. For those considering the cheapest $99 pair, these sacrifice all of the wireless benefits mentioned above, but do keep the spatial audio support. The INZONE H3 headphones are basically designed to be wired headphones and so they do come with a 3.5mm cable and a wired USB adapter instead.
Regardless of which model is chosen, Sony and its INZONE brand is looking to offer a set of headphones that are comfortable and tuned to the needs of gamers. Sony is even offering a dedicated 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer app which can be used to further fine-tune the experience by taking photos of the user’s ears and using these to create a tailored sound profile. As the app works with all of Sony's new headphones, buyers of either the H3, H7 or H9 headphones will benefit from custom spatial audio support and the ability to pinpoint the location of nearby enemies with more accurate audio indicators of distance and direction.
Source: Sony