However, the best way to cut out the noise is to use the ANC feature. It has borrowed notes from Sony’s lifestyle headsets and although it’s not as good as the 1000XM5 in canceling out noise, it does a good job of keeping the fan and AC noise away from your ears. Even construction and wind noises from the neighborhood don’t flood in while you’re gaming.
The spatial audio is truly special on these but it depends on what games you’re playing. PlayStation games that have Tempest 3D Audio support sound incredible with pinpoint audio placement. Returnal and God of War Ragnarok on the PS5 make proper use of the Inzone H9’s surround sound chops. Footsteps of zombies running around the space station in The Callisto Protocol on PC are placed accurately in the virtual surround on the H9.
Competitive PC games like Valorant and Overwatch 2 also make great use of the surround to track footsteps. We wish the Inzone H9 had Dolby Atmos support as well because the Corsair HS80 RGB Wireless support Dolby Audio and if you game on an Xbox Game Pass subscription then Xbox first-party titles make good use of the feature. Even Overwatch 2 supports Dolby Atmos now.
The overall sound characteristics of the H9 are simply better than everything else. The low-end is impactful but not boomy. Everything sounds crisp in the top end too. It’s not too bright and jarring like most gaming headsets and that makes it great for music listening also. The spatial audio might make the midrange sound hollow but only if you play games that don’t take advantage of the surround. Sony exclusives and other triple-A titles use it well.