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What Hi-Fi?
What Hi-Fi?
Technology
Lewis Empson

Sony's new gaming headset borrows a key ingredient from the brand's high-end MDR-MV1 studio headphones

Sony InZone H6 Air on a purple background.

Sony has announced the latest additions to its InZone gaming audio lineup, and it includes a new pair of over-ear headphones that borrow some key components from another pair of audiophile-focused headphones from the brand.

The InZone H6, unlike many gaming headphones on the market today, feature an open back design with perforations in the housing to "minimise internal reflections". This should accommodate a wider and more accurate soundfield that better represents the creator's intent, with an overall boost to immersion and authenticity to your game's audio.

This headset features an aluminium design weighing 199g, and the headband features a spring hinge design which allows for a compact size without compromising comfort.

However, it's what's inside this headset that excites us most, as the drivers are derived from another pair of open-back headphones from Sony's roster. Inside the earcups of the H6 Air, you'll find the same driver technology from the MDR-MV1 studio reference headphones, which have been slightly adapted to better accommodate gaming use.

We complimented these headphones in our four-star review, highlighting the "crisp, clear and detailed" nature and "spacious presentation" as reasons to consider these cans for wired listening. Those attributes are ideally suited to gaming, too, as keen-eared gamers rely on clarity and spatial precision for high-intensity competitive matches.

While these gaming-focused cans have been primarily positioned towards PC gamers, the H6 Air is also compatible with the PS5 and other consoles with 3.5mm headphone jacks.

Sony says that it has also worked closely with PlayStation Studios at Sony Interactive Entertainment to create an "RPG/Adventure” equaliser profile, which applies audio processing to reflect those titles and recreate the "acoustic experience of a sound studio" to deliver "an overwhelmingly immersive listening experience".

This can be accessed via the included USB-C Audio Box accessory, which also unlocks a virtual 7.1 channel surround sound mode with 360 Spatial Sound for Gaming.

The Sony InZone H6 Air certainly has the credentials to woo audiophiles and serious gamers alike, and at £179 / $200 / €200, it sits in the more affordable sector of premium gaming headsets too. It's joined by a new transparent purple edition of the InZone buds, which will launch later this month alongside the InZone H6 Air.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best wired headphones

As well as our full Sony PlayStation 5 review

And the best game soundtracks to test your system

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