In a market flooded with different kinds of wireless gaming headphones, how well does the Sony INZONE H5 stand out? Let’s find out.
Sony is a big name in the audio and gaming industry, and when these two entities come together for a product, the result is often sweet and adored by many. The INZONE is a brand new gaming headsets series introduced by Sony, and also advised by one of the best esports organizations in the world, Fnatic.
Recently, I’ve been testing out the Sony INZONE H5 headset, but does it manage to justify its price in an incredibly crowded gaming headset market?
Key Specs
- Connectivity: 2.4GHz wireless, 3.5mm aux cable
- Driver diameter: 40mm
- Frequency response: 5Hz-20kHz (IEC)
- Weight: 260g approx.
- Compatibility: PS5, PC, iOS
- Features: 360 Spatial Sound, bidirectional boom mic, flip-up to mute
- Price: $149.99
Design & build quality
The first thing that caught my attention after unboxing the Sony INZONE H5 is its design. It comes in two colors – Black and White. Sony sent me the Black variant, but I feel the white color variant looks more sophisticated.
The build quality, despite being made out of durable lightweight plastic, is extremely clean and minimalistic. The entire body of the headphones has a nice matte finish, which makes it easier to grip while wearing or removing them. Consider the texture to be a smoother version of how the faceplates of the PlayStation 5 feel.
The placement of the volume wheel is great and makes it easy to adjust the volume of games and media. Also, if you press the power button once, it tells you the battery percentage which I feel is a great addition.
It weighs merely 260 grams, and the combination of a plush headband and nylon earpads makes it quite comfortable for prolonged gaming sessions. Thanks to its lightweight plastic, I did not feel my head hurting while wearing this pair, unlike some other headphones I’ve used in the past.
The Sony INZONE H5 comes with a non-detachable mic and is attached to the left earcup. Now don’t get me wrong, the mic works exactly the way it’s supposed to, but comes with some flaws which I’ll mention later.
What I felt Sony could’ve done better is implementing a detachable design as the current one takes away the ‘cool’ factor if you take it outside. The design is so clean that I wanted to use it outdoors while traveling.
Features
AI-infused noise cancellation
The Sony INZONE H5 relies on AI to isolate your voice from noise. This is a welcoming integration for players who reside near noisy areas or there’s a lot of background noise, the AI-based noise reduction does a decent job at separating your voice from the noise.
Now obviously, it doesn’t work as well as the Nvidia Broadcast or RTX Voice but for a price of $149.99, it does a pretty good job.
I’ve previously used the HyperX Cloud Alpha, and compared to that, I feel the Sony INZONE H5 offers better active noise cancellation. I’d prefer these fabric cushions over leather ones any day, especially during hot and humid summer days here in India.
Connectivity options
The Sony INZONE H5 is a wireless headset, meaning I didn’t have to care about cables at all. It’s simply a plug-and-play experience and I could roam around my entire house as the range it offers is exceptional.
I faced literally zero loss in the audio quality while listening to some music even after being a floor and a few walls away. However, you also get the option to connect it to your PC via a 3.5mm aux cable.
Long battery life
I loved the battery life the Sony INZONE H5 provides. I tested this pair with multiple devices and on a single full-charge, it lasted me for approximately 27 hours, which is pretty close to the duration they advertised.
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It comes with a USB-C port, meaning that you won’t have to rummage around for a specific cable just to charge them.
No Bluetooth
One feature that I found missing in Sony INZONE H5 is the Bluetooth functionality. The battery life could’ve been even better with Bluetooth and its many uses, but the USB-A transceiver does a great job of maintaining zero latency in audio.
Although it’s marketed for mainly PCs and PS5, it worked like a charm with my iPhone 15 Pro. Yes, I had to connect it using an additional USB-C converter dongle, and it did look ugly, but if you’re someone who wants to have it all using a single pair of headphones without shelling out more than $150, the Inzone H5 will work just perfectly for you.
Audio performance
PC
Out of habit, I started testing the Sony INZONE H5 on my PC first, and the default audio output felt too flat for me. I mainly play games like CS2, Rainbow Six Siege, and Baldur’s Gate 3. But, I was not satisfied with the default output it provided.
It lacked the bass and clarity I desired and I felt it needed some tweaking. Thanks to the Inzone Hub app, I adjusted the audio settings to my liking, and it felt great from there. I could properly differentiate between the approaching and retreating footsteps of enemies even from great distances in Counter-Strike 2.
I am assuming the default output is much better on its higher-end siblings like the H7 and H9. Adjusting the audio settings also uplifted my experience of listening to music and watching movies on the Sony INZONE H5.
PlayStation 5
On the other hand, the default audio performance on my PlayStation 5 felt great! The amalgamation of bass and treble is balanced and games like The Finals and Cyberpunk 2077 felt much more immersive.
Topping that with the noise cancellation it offers, the difference was noticeable after using my HyperX Cloud Earbuds for the past few months. While listening to music via Spotify and iTunes felt perfect right out of the box.
Should you buy it?
The plethora of features present in the Sony INZONE H5 makes it worthy enough to add to your collection, especially if you’ve to constantly switch between PC and console like me. Whether you’re an audiophile, content creator, casual, or even a competitive gamer, you can’t really go wrong with this one.
On top of that, the comfort value is high, and being lightweight, it won’t put a dent in your skull. Coming in with a pretty decent price tag of just $149.99, I feel it’s worth spending money on the Sony INZONE H5 as a long-term investment.
Verdict: 4/5
The only reason I’m deducting one mark here is I did not like the default output of the mic. It is more on the flatter side, lacking bass and depth. I may sound a bit biased here as I’m used to listening to my voice via a dedicated microphone, but the Sony INZONE H5 mic works as it is intended to.
Had the mic been detachable, it would have brought the headset into unmissable territory. However, by no means I would ignore the audio quality out of the earcups, which is impressive indeed.
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