What are the most common Sony INZONE H9 II problems owners report?

The most common complaints from 117 verified owners: Sound that many owners call weak, muddy, or thin in the bass, sometimes even after EQ; On PS5 it acts like a generic third-party headset: game/chat balance does not work for most owners, and there is no on-screen status or battery indicator; Small, shallow ear cups and a snug clamp, with some owners' ears pressing against the drivers; Several owners have had one ear cup go silent, some within days; Noise cancelling underwhelms some owners, and a few hear a strange noise or popping with it on.

Do owners recommend the Sony INZONE H9 II?

56% of 117 verified owners recommend the Sony INZONE H9 II; 34% don't. Based on real owner comments aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

Sony INZONE H9 II · problems & reliability report

Sony INZONE H9 II problems: what real owners report

34% of 117 verified Sony INZONE H9 IIowners don't recommend it, and 5 describe specific problems — based on real owner comments from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

For balance: 56% recommend it. This page collects the complaints so you know what you're signing up for — read the full owner report for both sides. How we score

Most common complaints

·Sound that many owners call weak, muddy, or thin in the bass, sometimes even after EQ
·On PS5 it acts like a generic third-party headset: game/chat balance does not work for most owners, and there is no on-screen status or battery indicator
·Small, shallow ear cups and a snug clamp, with some owners' ears pressing against the drivers
·Several owners have had one ear cup go silent, some within days
·Noise cancelling underwhelms some owners, and a few hear a strange noise or popping with it on

In owners' own words

“Just bought these from the store and got them home and on the ps5 there is hardly any integration. I have the last gen version now and they have battery indicator and multiple integrations into the ps5. These have none of those.”
— @motochamp250 on YouTube

“as a premium product it is missing features every other product in this price range has.”
— @remotepinecone on YouTube

“Overall, I would strongly recommend against buying this headset: the sound is weak, the audio quality feels comparable to a headset from 10 years ago, and the receiver is simply poor.”
— Darkfirebg85 on r/SonyHeadphones

“In my opinion the ANC of the Inzone H9 II is completely shabby. Maybe mine does not work or something because it really almost feels nonexistant compared to my other headphones.”
— Ok-Impression2400 on r/PS5

“Honestly I went for it, but after a week of using it, just wasn't for me. Seriously though, Sony nailed it on the comfort - it was phenomenal.”
— red9109 on r/gamingheadsets

“I bought them to play overwatch and need chat game balance so these headphones are trash to me and I would say anyone on ps5 look elsewhere. Im packing mine up and sending back.”
— caseyonyett on r/playstation

“Would not recommend to anybody and these new versions are honestly a downgrade from the first. Cheap build quality and popping noise when using noise cancellation”
— @justanotherguy972 on YouTube

“I recently purchased the Sony Inzone H9 II and they have been great so far, but in just 5 days after the purchase the left side suddenly stopped working and is no longer making any sound.”
— DeviousGiid on r/SonyHeadphones

“Game to chat doesn’t work on PS5 and for the life me I can’t understand why as the H9 did. PS5 integration is almost non existent it detects the headset as if it was just any other headset for the PS5”
— deioncooke_ on r/SonyHeadphones

“I am on my way to Best buy to return my H9 ii and keep my H9 bcuz I primarily game on PlayStation 5 and the H9ii has no os level integration with the PS5.”
— SnooRadishes1119 on r/SonyHeadphones

“For me, sound and ANC is meh and comfort is bad. And I bought it at $100 OFF MSRP. Still thinking of returning but can't find anything comparable with all the features packed into it”
— Born_Dragonfly1096 on r/SonyHeadphones

“Had the same problem, bought the headphones at MediaMarkt 4 weeks ago, they lasted a whole 2 days.”
— Effort_Pleasant on r/SonyHeadphones

Setup quirks & things to watch for

Not complaints — practical notes from owners that didn't affect the score.

“Locally in Tokyo 39600¥, ~220€. Edit: translated to English. Reddit displayed the whole thread in German to me, so I naturally responded in German. Heck auto-translated stuff -.-”
— ecth on r/playstation

“They have the same drivers, but they don't sound anything like the XM6, unfortunately.”
— NoBurnInBirney_SG on r/playstation

“Would be cool if i could wander the house while still on discord. though, getting rid of my mic does remove my ability to conveniently swap headphones for IEMs while gaming.”
— PuzzleheadedSector2 on r/HeadphoneAdvice

“Was doing some research found this thread. Actually you assumed right. It uses the same drivers as the XM6, has active noise cancelling. Defs more like the XM6 than the ult”
— TheIlluminaughty on r/SonyHeadphones

“Dude, the second gen is 10 times better than the original. I just bought the second gen and it’s way better I would say to you. The pulse elite is going to a trash can lol”
— RonnyApple on r/PS5

“This EQ tuning brings them close to my preferred V shaped XM6 profile.”
— Ok_Count2956 on r/playstation

“I have xm4s, xm5s, and a few different wired sets, looking for a wireless headset for pc gaming. Cost isnt a huge issue, just want something built well and works.”
— Whitrzac on r/SonyHeadphones

“Salut a tous , Je viens de commander le sony inzone h9 II pour 160eur neuf sur le site ibood , j hésitais entre le turtlebeach stealth 700 ou le steelserie Arctis Nova 7p qui etait au meme prix.”
— loufouk on r/gamingheadsets

Weighing it up? The full report has the other side — what 56% of owners like about it, who it's for, and every sourced quote. Full Sony INZONE H9 II owner report →