Sony INZONE H6 Air for €200 reviewed: Very good sound & ultra-comfortable

With the Sony INZONE H6 Air, the manufacturer presents an open-back, over-ear gaming headset. The open design is particularly popular with music enthusiasts, and now Sony aims to win over gamers with this headset as well. Is it a worthwhile alternative to the usual options?

Superior comfort thanks to lightweight construction

Thanks to the reinforced fabric headband and perforated aluminum earcups, the headphones weigh in at a mere 211g including the microphone. If you detach the microphone, the weight drops to just 199g. Looking at the current top 5 bestsellers on Amazon, most weigh between 280g and 370g; only the budget-friendly JBL Quantum 100M2 comes close at 220g.

This means you won't feel any pressure points or experience fatigue, even after hours of use. The soft nylon ear cushions and fabric headband are also very comfortable. There are adjustment options on both sides of the headband for a perfect fit. These must be unlocked with a button, preventing accidental adjustments.

They have good bass that isn't overpowering and precise but not fatiguing treble. However, open-back headphones have the characteristic that the ear cups aren't completely sealed. This means you can still hear your surroundings, inevitably resulting in sound bleed. Therefore, these headphones aren't suitable for noisy environments, but you won't disturb anyone as long as you're not sitting right next to them.

• Extremely high wearing comfort due to very low weight (211 g including microphone)
• No pressure points even after prolonged use (also ideal for glasses wearers)
• Excellent, spacious sound with a large soundstage thanks to the open design.

Solid headset microphone with a slight weakness

As is typical for a headset, it also includes a microphone. This is a detachable microphone that plugs into the headphones via a 3.5 mm jack. It's adjustable, allowing it to be positioned ideally in front of the mouth or moved to the side. The sound quality is generally good, although a slight hissing sound is noticeable, which detracts somewhat from the overall impression.

Specifications:

• Headphone type: open over-ear
• Driver unit : 40 mm (a gaming-tuned version of the MDR-MV1 studio headphones)
• Sound feature :  360° Spatial Sound for Gaming (personalizable via ear scan using app)
• Microphone : Detachable boom microphone with windscreen (cardioid orientation)
• Controls : Volume control (bottom), microphone mute button (top)
• Software : INZONE Hub (Windows only, 10-band EQ, sidetone/monitoring)
• Connection & Cable : Detachable 2.0 m cable (4-pin mini connector) | USB-C audio box (absolutely Necessary for software adjustments)
• Material & Comfort : Reinforced fabric headband, perforated aluminum ear cups, nylon ear cushions, adjustable headband
• Weight 211 g (incl. microphone) / 199 g (without cable and microphone)
• Scope of delivery : Headset, detachable microphone (with windscreen), headphone cable, USB-C audio box, manuals/warranty card

Advantages and disadvantages of the Sony Inzone H6 Air

Advantages

• Extremely high wearing comfort due to very low weight (211 g including microphone)
• No pressure points even after prolonged use (also ideal for glasses wearers)
• Excellent, spacious sound with a large soundstage thanks to the open design.
• Detachable and flexibly positionable microphone
• Easily accessible and pleasant-to-the-touch mute button
• The software offers a 10-band equalizer as well as sidetone/monitoring.

Disadvantages

• Volume control is too easy to move (easily accidentally adjusted)
• The microphone recording has a slight hissing sound.
• Software functions in the Inzone Hub are available only when using the USB-C dongle (not via the jack).
• Open design results in sound bleed and a lack of insulation (not suitable for noisy environments)

Practical companion software for Windows PCs

As with all Inzone products that use software, there's the Inzone Hub , which is exclusively available for Windows. It's important to note that with the H6 Air, customization via the Hub only works when using the included USB-C dongle . If you connect the headset via a 3.5mm jack, you unfortunately won't be able to use any of the Hub's functions.

Almost all software functions can be used without a Sony account, with one exception. Personalizing the spatial sound requires a Sony account, which you then use to log in to the corresponding smartphone app and perform a head and ear scan. If you don't want to use personalization, an account isn't necessary. Further settings are available in the equalizers , which offer various gaming profiles. There are also two profiles available for music and bass boost, and the custom profile allows you to freely adjust the 10-band equalizer. The microphone settings allow you to adjust and automate the recording volume, as well as enable sidetone/monitoring (playing your own voice directly into your ear without delay).

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