Sony INZONE H7 Review: "For the most part, a very easy recommendation"

The Sony INZONE H7 bridges the gap between the entry-level H3 and high-end INZONE H9 gaming headset. It bears more resemblance to the H9 in its feature set, design, and quality, and makes for a cracking option on PC and PS5. Comfort levels the headset gives you are up there with the best gaming headsets on the market, and if it weren't for the price, I'd be telling you to get one of your own immediately. As it happens, there are some bizarre issues that are stopping me from doing so.

If you hadn't heard, PlayStation has made some serious money moves into the PC market in 2022, not only with their first-party game releases, but with the INZONE hardware range. Along with the three gaming headsets designed for PC and PS5, the M9 Monitor was easily one of the best gaming monitors of 2022. While all of the INZONE headsets have earned critical acclaim for their top-tier quality, their high prices compared to the best PS5 headsets on the market have arguably prevented them from being the commercial hits they could be.

Personifying this perfectly is the INZONE H7, as despite being the mid-range option, it still wears a $200 / £200 price tag (after it was adjusted from its even higher launch price).

Design and Features

As I've mentioned, the Sony INZONE H7 is the mid-range headset option for those who want more features than the H3 offers, without paying the lofty $270 / £270 price of the INZONE H9. The great news is, the H7 offers almost exactly the same build quality and features as its high-end sibling. Besides missing some RGB lighting, Active Noise Cancelling, and leather on the ear cushions, the H7 packs the exact same punch.

For your money, then, you'll get a premium-feeling gaming headset that matches the colour scheme of the PS5 with simple white and black hues. Along with velvety soft nylon ear and leather headband cushioning, you get a flip-down mic, and most importantly, Simultaneous Bluetooth functionality.

If you're so inclined, you'll be able to make use of Sony's INZONE Hub software that lets you customize your own audio profiles. If you're a true audiophile, there's the option to go further still, and take pictures of your ears to get the benefits of Sony's 360 Spatial Audio Personaliser.

The Inzone H7 is fully wireless and connects via a USB-A dongle that slots into a PS5 or PC. The dongle itself has a light to indicate its connection status and houses a small switch for use on PS5 or PC. It charges via USB-C connection, and while Sony gives the H7 a quoted battery life of up to 40 hours, I found it came closer to 25 during my time with it.

Performance

Let's get the important bit out of the way. The sound on the INZONE H7 headset is fantastic. The mix is really well balanced out of the box, and its 40mm drivers are far more powerful than I expect them to be. Details at higher and lower volumes are nice and consistent, and even though bass can benefit from a boost in the INZONE Hub software, you never feel like you're lacking any clarity in high or low pitches. All things considered, this headset is excellent for sound.

As someone who plays a lot of Hunt: Showdown, a competitive multiplayer shooter that's very audio-centric, I can attest that sound mapping on PC and PS5 was very clean and accurate. Distant footsteps in-game were always accurately represented from the correct directions, so you'll have no issues there.

By far, my favourite thing about this headset is its Simultaneous Bluetooth feature. As I explained, the INZONE H7 uses a wireless signal like most of the best wireless gaming headsets these days. While that connection is running, the INZONE H7 can connect via Bluetooth to a separate device like a phone, laptop, or tablet, which is insanely practical. If you're playing a multiplayer game that takes time to matchmake, or you're in the middle of an un-pause-able session with friends, you can still take an urgent phone call or watch a YouTube guide on your phone without disrupting the audio of your games and teammate chats. I love this feature, and I'm sure it will eventually become the norm in all gaming headsets. I know it will certainly be a must-have for the next gaming headset I buy.

You'll be glad to know that comfort is another big pro here. At times, I questioned whether the H7 did have the ANC chops of the H9 after all, but in fact, the build of the headset itself is so strong that it stops any sound bleeding in or out. That, combined with the super-plush nylon cushions makes the headset great for longer sessions. For reference, I wear glasses, and they never once felt like they were disrupting the fit of the headset at all.

Unfortunately, the same praise can't be given to the flip-down microphone. Even after firmware updates aimed at improving it, sound quality is still very static filled and lacks clarity. One nice feature is that you can hear a live monitor of your own mic's audio through what Sony calls "Sidetone", which is adjustable in the INZONE Hub software.

Speaking of which, I was disappointed to learn that the custom profiles I spent time tailoring to my own preferences didn't carry over from PC to PS5. In fact, for a Sony-made headset, I'm a bit surprised by some compatibility issues when it comes to the PS5. You have onboard controls to play with volume or adjust the party/game mix. Further, the mic mutes itself when flipped up. While these things are great, the PS5's UI has quick and easy options for adjusting them all and there's a handy mute button on the DualSense controller.

With the H7 connected, however, you can't adjust party and game volume, the overall volume itself, or create sound profiles through the PS5's UI. Perhaps most annoyingly, you can't use the mute button on the DualSense - isn't the intention behind it so that you can mute yourself without taking a hand off the controller?

I don't know about you, but if I'm splashing out this much for a Sony-branded headset to use on my Sony-branded console, I want to get more features and functionality, not less.

Overall - should you buy the Sony INZONE H7?

The INZONE H7 is an excellent gaming headset that, for the most part, is a very easy recommendation. The sound quality is top-notch, it works great with PS5 and PC, and its Simultaneous Bluetooth feature is a total game changer I'll be excited to see appearing more in gaming headsets from now on. If it's a toss-up between the H9 and H7, I can fully recommend the H7 in terms of value for money. There are only a few things you miss out on, and you can save a bit of money at least by going for the H7.

On the other hand, it's hard to recommend a mid-range headset that's priced so closely to a lot of high-end competitors. With the H9 costing $300/£270 and the H3 priced at $100/£90, the $200 / £200 the H7 will set you back doesn't feel like a strong halfway house. Since Black Friday, the price on Amazon in the UK has been £150, and at that price, this gaming headset has my full backing.

The H7 is brilliant for the most part, and its flaws aren't hard to overlook. Hopefully, more firmware updates in the future will improve the slightly odd compatibility issues with the PS5's software, and further improve the mic quality. Until then, this is still a solid gaming headset to upgrade to - just make sure you don't pay more for the Sony branding than you should.

How we tested the Sony INZONE H7 gaming headset

The Sony INZONE H7 was my gaming headset of choice for around two months leading up to this review. I used it for a wide range of games across PC and PS5, including Hunt: Showdown, God of War Ragnarok, The Quarry, Rollerdrome, Getting over it with Bennett Foddy, and Apex Legends. I tested the sound quality by switching between different headsets, like the Razer Kraken, and Corsair HS75 XB Wireless.

I used the INZONE Hub software to customise sound profiles and play with tone boosting. In terms of the microphone, I recorded some voiceover using the H7's mic on Audacity. I then listened back and compared the quality to other microphones and other gaming headset microphones.

Finally, I set the H7 at different volumes during play sessions in order to test the quality of the drivers and mix. I made extensive use of the Simultaneous Bluetooth functionality by listening to music on my phone at the same time as playing games and talking to friends, I even took a few phone calls while gaming.

You can read more about how we test gaming headsets as well as how we make all our recommendations in the full 12DOVE Hardware Policy.

Not totally convinced by the INZONE headsets? That's ok, why not shop around some more by looking at the best PS5 wireless headsets or the best Xbox Series X wireless headsets?