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.
Sony Inzone H9 II specs
Style: Closed back
Drivers: 30 mm carbon composite
Frequency response: 5 – 20,000 Hz
Microphone: Cardioid condenser
Battery life: 30 hours (ANC off)
Connection: 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.3
Extras: Noise cancelling
Weight: 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 the Sony set nearly every day for the past few months, often for eight hour+ stretches at a time. In fact, I’m now on hour seven of wearing it as I write this review—and I can confirm that it’s so good at sitting atop my bonce with minimal impact, I often forget I’m wearing it at all.
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So, after a shaky start, it’s beginning to look rather good for the pricey ear bangers. Even better, however, is the noise cancelling, which is genuinely excellent. It’s controlled with either a button on the left earcup, or Sony’s Inzone Hub software, which allows switching between ANC and transparency modes on the fly.
No noise cancelling solution is perfect, but Sony’s iteration is so good, it’s like being “whumped” into a sound-reduced chamber every time it’s turned on. You can almost feel the noise being sucked out of the room, which is a blessing for those of us living in shared spaces.
Sure, someone talking loudly right next to you will make it past the filters, and my crunchy mechanical keyboard is still audible. Still, it’s a darn sight better at creating a personal bubble of silence than any other gaming headset I can think of.
Gosh, the Sony set is really beginning to justify that MSRP, isn’t it? And I haven’t even got to the sound yet. I was surprised to learn that the Inzone H9 II uses a pair of 30 mm carbon composite drivers, which, as a specs figure alone, seems a little small.
They don’t sound small, though. While the Inzone H9 II drivers are definitely tweaked for clarity straight from the box, they’ve also been blessed with a honey-glazed dose of warmth in the low mid to low end spectrum, which makes them very pleasant to listen to. You can tweak them with a basic EQ in the Inzone software, too, which means they can be pushed to even warmer, bassier climes.
For $250, I’d be much more inclined to jump up and down about the Sony
Or you can pull everything back to super-clinical, fast-responding treble, if you so wish. But missing out on the Sony set’s tendency towards a warm, punchy response would be a mistake.
They sound good, these expensive cans—and while I definitely wouldn’t call them audiophile quality, the drivers are still capable of hitting the right notes in a consumer-friendly, somewhat-boosted sort of way. The soundstage is decently wide, and the spatial sound support means the set’s quite capable of detailed positional audio, too.
Then there’s the microphone, which is a removable cardioid condenser unit with a substantial foam filter. It doesn’t look particularly pretty—which, in combination with the suspended headband, gives the whole set the appearance of being used for air traffic control. Still, it’s got a good capsule, with a rounded, reasonably smooth vocal quality that would be perfectly acceptable for light streaming duties.
It’s a little plosive-prone, but it still captures a richer sound than most gaming headsets I test.
There’s also a substantial textured mute button on the top side of the left cup, which activates a small red LED on the end of the mic to let you know you’re off-air. I initially thought the light would be irritating, but it’s diffused enough (and far enough away from your eyeline) to create the opposite effect. Reassuring, is what I’d call it. As is, now I think of it, the design of this set overall.
Yes, it doesn’t look particularly special (especially if you don’t wipe it down very often, as the matte finish is very fingerprint-prone), but the Inzone H9 II is still quality in most of the ways that matter. The more I’ve used it, the more I’ve come to appreciate the subtle little touches that make it better than many other headsets, in several crucial ways.
What I can’t quite get my head around, however, is that price tag. For $250, I’d be much more inclined to jump up and down about the Sony, but its $350 MSRP means that it’s in low-end audiophile territory—and that’s the point where this headset falters.
Buy if…
✅ You want exceptional lightness: If you want a headset that feels barely there, without sacrificing too much towards audio quality, the Sony is for you.
✅ You value silence: The noise cancelling really is excellent, creating a zen-like space around your ears for work, gaming, or just chilling out.
Don’t buy if…
❌ You’re on a budget: The Sony set may do many things right, but the MSRP is prohibitive. Keep an eye out for discounts and deals, but otherwise, you can get more for your cash elsewhere.
❌ You want the best of the best for audio quality: It really does sound rather good, this headset, but it won’t have you in raptures—and that’s a shame when planar magnetic sets can be found for less cash.
It’s good at many things, but for this sort of cash, I want it to be exceptional. And while the drivers, microphone, and noise cancelling are all varying degrees of great, and the engineers have achieved their low-weight = comfy goals, I’d still be sorely tempted by something much heavier, much bulkier, but more boutique for the same money—like the Maxwell.
There, you get driver tech that leaves the Sony’s conventional units in the dust for sound quality, and the sort of chassis that makes you all giggly when you pull it from the box. It hasn’t got noise cancelling, and it’s much chonkier—but otherwise, it’s the better set of cans.
Plus, the Maxwell enjoys 80 hour+ battery life. The Inzone H9 II gets 30 hours with the noise cancelling turned off—and in 2026, that’s not quite good enough for a high-end set.
All that being said, the Sony Inzone H9 II still makes for a very good gaming headset overall, and for that it deserves praise. If the drawbacks are of little concern, and you can find one on discount, I’d say it’s a great buy. At full price, though? You can find better for the money, even if it does come with a bit of extra fat.
Best gaming headset 2026
