Sony Inzone H6 Air Wired Open-back Gaming Headset review

Wired gaming headsets come in all shapes and sizes, but I rarely get to test one that's as fancy-pants and rich-sounding as the Sony Inzone H6 Air.

More often than not, the best gaming headsets of the wired variety that pass my testing bench are designed to be a low-cost alternative to gamers on a smaller budget first and foremost. However, at $199.99 / £179.99, the InZone H6 Air is definitely not that.

This headset may be wired, but it shares the same driver components as Sony's MDR-MV1 studio-grade headphones, and flaunts an open-back form factor that prioritizes a rich and natural creamy sound. Instead of being designed for the budget-conscious, the pair is more concerned about providing an immersive and realistic sound for RPG and single-player game fans, and it definitely gets the job done and then some.

Key specs

Design

If you've got experience with the Sony Inzone H9 II headset, you'll have already come face-to-face with the design used for the Inzone H6 Air.

Sony has essentially re-used the same form factor, right down to that unique headband. It's comprised of a leather band suspended under a rope-like strap, which contributes to the pair's light 199g weight. It's in fact lighter than the 260g of the H9 II, and it's one of the most comfortable headsets I've tested to date.

Where it differs from its H9 II brethren is that there's no longer that glossy texture to the exterior of the earcups. Instead, you're met with a series of perforated holes, which help give the sound more freedom to reverberate and create that immersive soundscape open headsets are known for.

Features

The standout feature of the Inzone H6 Air lies in its open-back acoustic design. It allows the sound generated from the 40mm-sized audio drivers to freely resonate around the cans.

Besides this, the H6 Air isn't as feature-full as other cups in the Inzone line. It's a wired only headset, so there's no Bluetooth or 2.4GHz wireless options available. Instead, you can connect the PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and other devices with the USB-C port of the USB-C Audio Box, or you can detach this and use the 3.5mm cable instead - the latter of which is best suited for the PS5 players in particular.

Even the onboard controls are minimalistic, as all you have is a mic mute button and a volume wheel, and that's it. At least the mic mute button is a great one, as it copies the H9 II by including a large, rounded button that's textured and perfectly sized for the tip of a human thumb.

The left earcup, where these controls are located, also plays host to the headset's microphone. It's detachable, which is a massive preference of mine, and it carries a unidirectional cardioid pattern. The H6 Air also includes audio monitoring, support for Sony's 360 Spatial Sound technology, and support with the Inzone Hub, where you can take advantage of the "RPG/Adventure” equaliser profile for single-player RPGs developed alongside PlayStation Studios.

Performance

Sony sent me out this loaned headset around the same time my PS5 Lego Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight pre-order arrived at my door, which felt like a sign that I needed to hook it up to the Sony pixel-pusher before all else, and I'm glad I did. You wouldn't expect there to be a lot of depth in the soundscape of the latest Lego game, but the brick-built version of Gotham can get very atmospheric, and the H6 AIr managed to bring that to life.

Whether it was being able to hear every pitter-patter of the rain as it filled the Gotham streets, or the waves of wind that blew as I glided across the different villain-littered districts, the H6 sounded sublime. I did assume as much, as past experience with open-back headsets like the Skullcandy Crusher PLYR 720 also emphasised the sound design to any game, but this came in handy particularly with Lego Batman, as it makes the satisfying clicks of collecting studs sound all the more satisfying.

Traveller's Tales' Lego game wasn't ideal for testing the game's score, as the Batman theme is used pretty sparingly, so I made sure to dig out the usual testing titles like Marvel Rivals and Doom Eternal. Just as I thought, the 40 mm-sized drivers are well-equipped to take on busy soundstages. I could hear every nuance of the Scarlet Witch's "Pure Chaos" voice line as I took out half a team of enemy players, almost like I was right in the vocal box alongside the actress, and the mids and highs of the ending match jingle had just as much clarity.

The only personal gripe I had with the sound was visible when I loaded up titles like Doom Eternal. With an emphasis on dialogue and high-pitched sounds, audio on the lower end of the scale felt a bit lacking. And with no way to use both the wired headset and the Inzone Hub EQ settings simultaneously on PS5 (if there was, I didn't discover it), I was left wanting more on Sony's own current-gen console.

PC was a different story. I had the Inzone Hub software at my fingertips, which let me toggle on spatial audio, adjust the sidetone, and select from a few pre-made EQ settings, including ones tailored for FPS games. It's a good thing Counter Strike happens to be one of my go-to PC headset testing games of choice, that's for sure, as I adored what it could do. For the first time, I was able to rake in the kill shots. Sure, it was the practice range as I still don't dare join online matches with actual hardened players, but even being able to stand my own amongst a sea of bots is usually unheard of for me.

The main reasoning behind my new skills was the FPS 1 preset, as it brought down the emphasis on sound effects despite stating it does quite the opposite. Out of the box, gunshots in CS2 were loud and startling. But with FPS1 toggled on, I could feel satisfied with the crunch and bang of each shot without having to worry about my ear health. Talking of presets, I also made sure to try out the RPG setting that Sony states it "developed with sound designers from PlayStation Studios at Sony Interactive Entertainment."

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt was my RPG of choice, given I wanted to start a new file anyway with the new DLC on its way, but I didn't notice much of a huge difference. The preset is meant to set a sound "which is sensitive to the spatial information of games,” but it sounded pretty similar with or without it. Which is fine, as that sounds great, but I'm wondering if Sony has a certain type of RPG in mind that I just didn't get around to playing.

Before I round things up, let's talk about that microphone. I really like the design of the mic, as it has a large circular diameter at the end rather than the typical tear-drop shaped bulb you find on other headsets.

But as you can hear from the sample above, the cardioid boom mic is pretty prone to picking up white noise. When you're in the middle of a Marvel Rivals match, or chatting to a large group of friends on Discord who are all talking over each other, you won't notice it much. Yet it's not one I'd recommend you use for streaming, podcast audio, or any other situation where you want crystal clear vocals.

Should you buy the Sony H6 Air gaming headset?

The Sony Inzone H6 Air seems like it's designed for a very niche individual. Someone who cares deeply about how their games sound, but who wouldn't benefit from any wireless support via Bluetooth or a wireless 2.4GHz dongle that's crammed into the boxes of most of the best wireless headsets on the market.

Personally, that isn't me. If I'm spending $199.99 / £179.99, I like to ensure I'm getting plenty more bang for my buck, but that doesn't mean I don't see value in this open-back headset.

A modern pair of Sony MDR-MV1 open-back headphones, that the H6 Air shares a lot in common with, will set you back $419.99 at Amazon. Meanwhile, these are $220 less and add a microphone into the mix, and a USB-C cable over a 6.3mm stereo plug. It definitely feels like Sony has re-wrangled the MDR-MV1s into a package more suited towards single-player gamers who love their FPS and RPG games, and if that sounds like you, then the H6 Air would likely be right up your ally.

How I tested the Sony H6 Air gaming headset

The Sony Inzone H6 Air was on my testing bench for a little over two weeks, where I used the pair to play the PS5, PC, and the Nintendo Switch 2. With the PS5, I had the headset hooked up to my DualSense controller while I explored the brick-built world of Gotham in Lego Batman, played multiple matches of Marvel Rivals, and re-explored the hellish depths of Doom Eternal.

On PC, I dug out Marvel Rivals again to compare the two versions, alongside Counter-Strike 2, and Mina the Hollower. Meanwhile, Mario Kart World, Pokemon Pokopia, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Donkey Kong 64 were my testing games of choice on the Switch 2, and I also used the pair while re-watching HBO's Girls and Hacks on Now TV. For more information on how we test gaming headsets, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

If the Sony Inzone H6 Air isn't for you, check out our guides to the best Nintendo Switch headsets, the best PC headsets for gaming, and the best Steam Deck headsets for a look at other premium pairs.