Sunday, June 26th 2022

Upcoming Sony INZONE Gaming Headsets for PC Revealed Ahead of Launch

by
TheLostSwede
 Discuss (26 Comments)
There's no shortage of gaming headsets in the market, but for some reason it seems like Sony has decided that it can offer a range of competitive products in an already crowded segment. The company is said to be launching its INZONE brand of gaming headsets in the near future and there will be a total of three different models at launch. Common among all three models is support for Sony's proprietary 360 spatial sound, something many of its higher-end headphones already feature, as well as a fixed microphone on an arm, as well as integrated volume control.

The base model is the H3, which is a wired version that has a 3.5 mm jack, but also appears to ship with a USB sound card. Interestingly the H3 model has a switch for NC/AMB which suggests it has some kind of noise cancelling feature, where AMB stands for ambient sound mode. The next step up is the H7 which is the mid-range model and the first wireless option in the series. The design changes here as well, with only one point of attachment between the headband and the earcups, where the H3 has a more traditional two-point attachment. The H7 as well as the higher-end H9 comes with a USB dongle for wireless use, but also appears to have support for Bluetooth audio. Both models have a game/chat button, which may be for adjusting the volume separately between two different inputs.
The top of the range H9 SKU adds at least a blue LED effect on the earcups, but it's unclear if there's support for RGB. It's unclear what the difference is between the H7 and H9 outside of this, as both appear to feature noise cancelling. Both the H7 and H9 features a USB Type-C port for charging, although the leaked details didn't include any kind of battery life indication. Sony appears to have borrowed the headband on the wireless models from its WH-1000XM5 noise cancelling headphones, but otherwise it seems like the new INZONE range of headsets are largely using a new design language from Sony.
Source: 91mobiles

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26 Comments on Upcoming Sony INZONE Gaming Headsets for PC Revealed Ahead of Launch

#1
AlwaysHope
I wonder if their proprietary 360 spatial sound is as good if not better than what Razer did with their Tiamat 7.1 headset that is an actual circumaural headset, not a virtualised imitation. So far on the market (Australia) I have not been able to track down a dedicated 7.1 speaker headset similar to it Seems they have all gone with the virtual stuff & in my view, fooling end users that they have proper in game surround sound.
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#2
TheLostSwede
News Editor
AlwaysHopeI wonder if their proprietary 360 spatial sound is as good if not better than what Razer did with their Tiamat 7.1 headset that is an actual circumaural headset, not a virtualised imitation. So far on the market (Australia) I have not been able to track down a dedicated 7.1 speaker headset similar to it Seems they have all gone with the virtual stuff & in my view, fooling end users that they have proper in game surround sound.
It's this.
electronics.sony.com/360-reality-audio
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#3
AlwaysHope
TheLostSwedeIt's this.
electronics.sony.com/360-reality-audio
Thanks but their marketing page is a fail for PC gamers. Looks like all they want to do is try to sell it to musicians & get the consumer to subscribe to streaming services.
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#4
Valantar
Is it just me or does that one hinge design (the black, single-point one) look absolutely terrible? Either it will force the headphones onto your head at a very skewed and uncomfortable angle, or it will induce a lot of unnecessary stress on the headband through forcing the earpads outwards.
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#5
DeathtoGnomes
ValantarIs it just me or does that one hinge design (the black, single-point one) look absolutely terrible? Either it will force the headphones onto your head at a very skewed and uncomfortable angle, or it will induce a lot of unnecessary stress on the headband through forcing the earpads outwards.
It looks like the muffs extend out from the top band. Typcial of these style headphones, the real problem is the fit for... larger noggins.
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#6
TheLostSwede
News Editor
ValantarIs it just me or does that one hinge design (the black, single-point one) look absolutely terrible? Either it will force the headphones onto your head at a very skewed and uncomfortable angle, or it will induce a lot of unnecessary stress on the headband through forcing the earpads outwards.
Same same, no?

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#8
Space Lynx
Astronaut
@VSG I know you probably won't get it it, but these would be nice to have a review on, like does it make gaming on a PS5 better than say a mid tier high end headphone like the HD58X Sennheiser
Posted on Reply
#9
TheLostSwede
News Editor
CallandorWoT@VSG I know you probably won't get it it, but these would be nice to have a review on, like does it make gaming on a PS5 better than say a mid tier high end headphone like the HD58X Sennheiser
They're for PC, not consoles.
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#10
VSG
Editor, Reviews & News
CallandorWoT@VSG I know you probably won't get it it, but these would be nice to have a review on, like does it make gaming on a PS5 better than say a mid tier high end headphone like the HD58X Sennheiser
@Inle is the expert on headsets and anything to do with microphones/streaming gear etc.
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#12
goldman
man this reminds me, what happened with the whole "we're gonna map your ears to give you the best experience" that sony was going at when talking about ps5?
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#13
GunShot
Looks cheap and for children with awful aesthetics. :fear:
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#14
Space Lynx
Astronaut
TheLostSwedeThey're for PC, not consoles.
woops, my bad!
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#15
trsttte
TheLostSwedeThey're for PC, not consoles.
I mean, they still should work with anything. Consoles can use regular headphones either through the remote, tv output or connected dac. And console headphones tend to work in other devices (previous playstation headphones including the latest Pulse 3D work on other devices either with cable or using the usb dongle). Sound is always sound so I think there could still be a review, maybe more focused on what extra this offer vs regular run of the mill stuff connected to the controller/tv
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#16
TheLostSwede
News Editor
trsttteI mean, they still should work with anything. Consoles can use regular headphones either through the remote, tv output or connected dac. And console headphones tend to work in other devices (previous playstation headphones including the latest Pulse 3D work on other devices either with cable or using the usb dongle). Sound is always sound so I think there could still be a review, maybe more focused on what extra this offer vs regular run of the mill stuff connected to the controller/tv
Target market.
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#17
TheLostSwede
News Editor
CallandorWoTwoops, my bad!
Seems like I was wrong, they're for PS5 as well.
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#18
Valantar
TheLostSwedeSeems like I was wrong, they're for PS5 as well.
AFAIK PlayStation (4+5) supports regular usb headsets, which means they'd have to work pretty hard for these not to work :p It's one of the few instances where Sony is actually friendlier to users than MS :eek:
Posted on Reply
#19
Space Lynx
Astronaut
ValantarAFAIK PlayStation (4+5) supports regular usb headsets, which means they'd have to work pretty hard for these not to work :p It's one of the few instances where Sony is actually friendlier to users than MS :eek:
My real question is in regards to the proprietary 3D tech that Sony uses in its only official headset for PS5, how will that that 3D tech compare from that headphone to this one... would be interesting to play games designed for that 3D tech (some are but not all) and swap the headphones back and forth. @VSG that is the kind of stuff that interests me, which does the 3D better, or do these new ones even support the PS5 3D tech? a lot of people forget, but that was a major selling point for the PS5 before launch, was this proprietary 3D sound tech
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#20
trsttte
ValantarAFAIK PlayStation (4+5) supports regular usb headsets, which means they'd have to work pretty hard for these not to work :p It's one of the few instances where Sony is actually friendlier to users than MS :eek:
They could still provide a lot more support, Playstation only works with UAC 1 and most audio equipment already moved to UAC 2 a long time ago
Posted on Reply
#21
Space Lynx
Astronaut
trsttteThey could still provide a lot more support, Playstation only works with UAC 1 and most audio equipment already moved to UAC 2 a long time ago
I wonder if there are any adapters to say take my Sennheiser HD58X 3.5mm and plug into an adapter that is USB at one end for PS5 and and 3.5mm for the plugin part from the headphone... not sure if anything like that exists or not... would be neat if so though
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#22
trsttte
CallandorWoTI wonder if there are any adapters to say take my Sennheiser HD58X 3.5mm and plug into an adapter that is USB at one end for PS5 and and 3.5mm for the plugin part from the headphone... not sure if anything like that exists or not... would be neat if so though
What you want is a USB DAC, specifically one that supports the older USB audio class 1 (UAC 1), there are several such options like schiit hel (latest version only), jds atom, several of the creative soundblaster like the x3, x4, g3, etc.

It could be easier if Playstation supported UAC 2 but since it doesn't you should lookup into the dac you want to be sure
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#23
Valantar
trsttteWhat you want is a USB DAC, specifically one that supports the older USB audio class 1 (UAC 1), there are several such options like schiit hel (latest version only), jds atom, several of the creative soundblaster like the x3, x4, g3, etc.

It could be easier if Playstation supported UAC 2 but since it doesn't you should lookup into the dac you want to be sure
Or just any random budget usb sound card, I would assume (especially older models)? Of course anything branded a DAC is likely to sound noticeably better.
CallandorWoTMy real question is in regards to the proprietary 3D tech that Sony uses in its only official headset for PS5, how will that that 3D tech compare from that headphone to this one... would be interesting to play games designed for that 3D tech (some are but not all) and swap the headphones back and forth. @VSG that is the kind of stuff that interests me, which does the 3D better, or do these new ones even support the PS5 3D tech? a lot of people forget, but that was a major selling point for the PS5 before launch, was this proprietary 3D sound tech
Isn't that fully virtual though? I.e. it should work across all headphones? Their PS5 headsets are 2-channel after all, and IIRC they marketed this as also working with anything plugged into the controller. IMO, any claimed advantage of their first party stuff would be down to tuning the effect for the characteristics of that hardware - but any open-backed headphones would likely still offer a far superior soundstage and thus more convincing spatial effects.
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#24
trsttte
ValantarOr just any random budget usb sound card
Which is still a usb dac (but I get the point, usb dac sounds more special than necessary)
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#25
Valantar
trsttteWhich is still a usb dac (but I get the point, usb dac sounds more special than necessary)
Yep, DAC has been adopted as essentially meaning "this sound card is fancy", which also means anyone searching for "USB DAC" will be bombarded with pricy options - hence my preference for the more general term even if they are just different words for more or less the same thing :)
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