The Sony Inzone H5 gaming headphones are so good I stopped using my Sonos surround system

Let’s get straight to the point. The Sony Inzone H5 is the best gaming headset I’ve ever tested, and this is coming from a dude who has owned about as many audio accessories over the years as he’s enjoyed hot dinners. Full disclosure: I can barely make a microwave function.

What I can tell you is that the Inzone H5 is the finest gaming headset I’ve wrapped around my earlobes. Our current number one pick of the best PS5 headsets is the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7, and the H5 is a far newer and simply superior set of gaming cans. 

What an awesome headset. Whether it’s elevating your audio in the best PS5 games, one of the best gaming PCs (handily, the H5 has a wireless dongle that lets you switch between both a PS5 and PC mode in a flash) or if you’re watching the best Netflix movies, it’s a stunning performer. Whatever way you slice it, the Inzone H5 is simply a brilliant headset.

I deliberately didn’t phrase that last sentence as “gaming headset.” I own the far more expensive $479 Apple AirPods Max, and for my money this provides equally compelling audio. That’s seriously impressive considering the Sony Inzone H5 is on sale for $134 on Amazon at time of writing (it normally retails for $149). 

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Sony’s mid-range Inzone audio effort is also a cut above the aging PlayStation Pulse 3D Wireless that launched alongside the PS5. This is a headset that sports such a rich, textured soundscape, I’ve literally started using it as my go-to listening device over my surround sound system that consists of a Sonos Arc and a duo of Sonos Era 300 speakers. That system cost me well over $1,000 to assemble. I can’t think of a higher form of praise.

To deliver such an ear-arousing headset that proves itself an equally capable audio companion for both video games and movies is laudable. Here’s the bottom line: If you own either a gaming PC, an OG PlayStation 5 or the recent PS5 Slim, I class this incredibly well-balanced headset as a must-own gaming accessory. Let me explain why more fully below.

Sony Inzone H5: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A wireless gaming headset with spatial audio support 
• Who is it for? PS5 and PC gamers who want an ace, affordable headset
• What does it cost? $149/£129
• Does it cut corners to hit its price? Generally no, but it lacks noise-canceling
• Is this a good all-rounder headset? Is it ever. It’s not only great for gaming, listening to movies and shows on the H5 is also a treat     

Sony Inzone H5: Specs

Sony Inzone H5: The ups

Hyperbolic or not, the Sony Inzone H5 is the best gaming headset I’ve used in years. And this is coming from a dunderhead who currently has at least five pairs of headphones lying around his apartment. 

Big sound, reasonable price 

The headline selling point of the Sony Inzone H5? That would be just how damn loud it gets out of the box. Any discerning medical practitioner would warn you to avoid cranked up sounds, but I can honestly say I’d happily forgo future me’s severely depleted hearing for the glorious here and now of just how noisy the Inzone H5 gets with zero tinkering on PS5 (and only mild app-based EQ tweaks on PC). 

I won’t lie: I love a booming soundscape. And hoo-boy does the H5 deliver in this aspect. Naturally loud with well-balanced mid-range sounds and punchy bass, this headset also takes full advantage of PS5’s 3D spatial audio. On that note, hot damn does the constantly lashing rain in the fiendishly moreish sci-fi roguelike Returnal sound super immersive.

This knockout headset sounds even more impactful paired with a desktop PC or one of the best gaming laptops thanks to the excellent Inzone Hub app. Not only does this app allow you to fiddle with the headset’s EQ to a pleasingly granular degree, it also sports the 360 Spatial Audio app (activated through a QR code via your smartphone) that tailors sound levels based on picture scans of the shape of your ears. What a world we live in.  

King of comfort 

Wearing the Sony Inzone H5 feels like wrapping a set of super comfortable cushions around my lugs. For context, I suffer from sensitive skin and it doesn’t take much for the average headset to quickly irritate my ears. That’s not the case with these superb Sony cans.

I completed Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection using the H5 — a superbly paced action-adventure that lasts north of 20 hours — and I never once found this gaming headset to be uncomfortable. The soft, well padded foam cups of the headset are incredibly easy on my ears, to the point where I often forget I’m actually wearing them.

The bidirectional boom mic is also a winner. I recently played a tense, alien-slaughtering session of Helldivers 2 with my colleague, Entertainment Editor Rory Mellon. Thanks to the Inzone H5’s AI noise reduction features, he could make out my reasonably thick Scottish accent amidst the noisy, Starship Troopers-inspired online slaughter with relative ease.  

An awesome all-rounder 

While the Inzone H5 is a gaming headset first and foremost. In that context, it’s also capable of serving up movie magic. A significant part of my testing has involved watching some of my favorite flicks via theNetflix and Disney Plus apps on my PS5, and a variety of Blu-ray discs. Even though Sony isn’t marketing this headset as an all-rounder, it confidently delivers the goods when it comes to elevating movie moments.

I watched Blade Runner 2049, Scream, The Matrix, Best Picture Winner at the 2024 Oscars Oppenheimer, an incredible viewing of The Batman and most personally to me, Jurassic World. Every one of them sounds ace on the H5. 

Colin Trevorrow’s soft reboot of the Jurassic franchise is the last film I ever saw at the cinema with my old man shortly before he passed, so it obviously means a lot to me. Listening to the 2015 mega hit on the Inzone H5 has proven to be a dino delight. The moment the park’s veteran T-Rex triumphantly returns with an ear-shattering roar before kicking the Indominus Rex’s hybrid hide has been my most joyous moment with the Inzone H5.

Sony Inzone H5: The downs

I honestly have very few quibbles when it comes to the Sony Inzone H5 gaming headset. That said, there is at least one key feature it’s lacking, while the H5 also isn’t the best choice for Xbox Series X/S or Nintendo Switch players.   

No Noise-canceling 

The biggie in terms of negatives. Unlike the top of the line $299 Sony Inzone H9, the considerably cheaper H5 lacks noise-canceling features. If you live in a noisy apartment building, this could prove to be an immersion-breaker when you’re trying to listen to the captivating plot of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

Thankfully, my neighborhood is quiet and because the H5 gets so loud at full volume, I’m never distracted by outside noises while enjoying my favorite PS5 games. As much as I love noise-canceling — as someone who walks his husky at least 5 kilometers every day I adore my Apple AirPods Max’s racket-reducing features — the Inzone H5 has clearly been designed with indoor gaming in mind. For that reason, I’m not going to overly dunk on this headset for lacking noise-canceling — especially when the plush foam earcups do a decent job of reducing surrounding ambient sounds. 

Lacks wireless support for PS5’s rival consoles 

This negative feels uncharitable. It’s not exactly a monocle-dropping shocker that a Sony-manufactured headset hasn’t been designed to play perfectly with PS5’s rival consoles. With that said, the Inzone H5 works just fine with Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch… provided you use its 3.5mm headphone jack (which comes provided in the box alongside the wireless dongle).

Plugging the Inzone H5 into my Xbox Series X Wireless Controller or the headphone slot on top of my Nintendo Switch OLED ensures I can still use this stellar Sony headset with PlayStation’s main competitors. Sound quality through a cable holds up admirably, too. So if wirelessly functionality isn’t absolutely paramount to your buying decision, I’d still recommend the Inzone H5 to Xbox and Switch players.  

Sony Inzone H5: Verdict

The Sony Inzone H5 is destined to be my go-to gaming headset for the foreseeable future. I freakin’ love this product. Punchy with well judged mid-range sounds and ear-rumbling bass, these over-ear cans should be right at the top of any PS5 player’s list who’s looking for a quality headset that comes in at what I think is a fabulously fair price point. 

My initial audio experiences with the Inzone H5 are going to stay with me for a long time. I can honestly say this is the most passionate I’ve felt about any tech product since I joined Tom’s Guide. 

Super comfortable, attractively designed and producing a close to pitch-perfect soundscape that beats the brakes off the Sony Pulse 3D, this is a better PS5 headset than the OG cans that were specifically designed to squeeze the best audio from the latest PlayStation. I can’t recommend the Inzone H5 enough if you’re in the market for a value-for-money gaming headset that delivers the audio goods in spades.