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Sony Inzone E9: Two-minute review
Sony makes it very clear who the Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones are for. Developed in partnership with eSports workforce Fnatic, these wired in-ear monitor (IEM) fashion earbuds are squarely geared toward aggressive first-person shooter (FPS) gamers or these with a beneficiant price range aspiring to develop into one.
The Sony Inzone E9 headphones are extremely snug to put on and include an outstanding carrying case, however the unapologetically flat sound shouldn’t be going to assist cutscenes or motion sequences sound their finest. The GameBuds, and even Sony’s personal however dearer Inzone Buds, are clearly higher selections, but it surely’s exhausting to fault the Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones for that, as that’s clearly not what they’re for.
They actually come into their very own in a aggressive first-person shooter (FPS) setting, pairing properly with video games like Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Right here, the shortage of bass prevents explosion and gunfire sound results from overwhelming your senses, permitting you to give attention to the spectacular directional replica as a substitute. The route of key audio cues like footsteps is crystal clear and remarkably simple to discern, doubtlessly providing you with a bonus over these with out such specialised audio gear.
The noise isolation is exquisite, thanks in no small part to the excellent seal of the headphones in your ears. A plethora of ear tips is included in the box to make it easy to find the perfect fit, and the included USB-C audio box stores EQ profile settings to make for a hassle-free setup every time – ideal if you’re competing in tournaments and need to access the same settings on a new machine.
Sony Inzone E9: Price and availability
- $149.99 / £129 / AU$209
- Available directly via Sony
- Also at a range of retailers including Amazon
The Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones are priced at $149.99 / £129 / AU$209. This is a significant investment for a pair of wired gaming earbuds, with top wireless options like the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds costing not much more at $159.99 / £159.99 / AU$359.
In addition to traditional gaming options, the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones are also competing with the pricey in-ear monitor (IEM) earbuds favored by some FPS players. Here they come in at a very similar price to relatively affordable models from other big brands, such as the $149.99 / £129.99 Sennheiser IE 200. The Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones are made particularly for gaming, nevertheless, setting them aside from a lot of the market and serving to to justify the worth.
The Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones can be found immediately through Sony within the US and UK. They can be discovered at a variety of shops, corresponding to Greatest Purchase within the US or Amazon within the UK. In Australia they’re in inventory at each JB Hello-Fi and Harvey Norman.
Sony Inzone E9: Specs
|
Price |
$149.99 / £129 / AU$209 |
|
Weight |
0.16oz / 4.7g |
|
Compatibility |
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, mobile |
|
Connection type |
Wired (3.5mm / USB-C with audio box) |
|
Battery life |
N/A |
|
Features |
USB-C audio box, spatial audio |
|
Software |
Inzone Hub (PC) |
Sony Inzone E9: Design and features
- IEM style design
- Included USB-C audio box stores settings
- Fantastic carrying case
The Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones will have a familiar design if you’ve used a pair of IEM earbuds before.
They’re lightweight, with rounded earbuds connected to a rigid section of cable that hooks around the top of your ears. Two colorways are available: black and white. Both are rather plain, but the abundance of Inzone logo branding printed on the earbuds does give them some character.
Sony has definitely made some smart decisions when it comes to practicality, particularly with the length of the headphone’s cable. At 5.9ft / 1.8m, I found that it was more than long enough to comfortably reach my ears directly from my gaming PC’s 3.5mm headphone jack without the need for a cable extender. If you play on a console, you won’t have any issues hooking it up to your controller.
I also appreciate the clear left / right marking that’s printed on each earbud, with the latter presented in a bright red that makes it easy to spot at a glance.
A wealth of alternate ear tips come in the box, with a total of eight pairs to choose from. This includes standard silicone rubber ear tips and more foamy noise isolation earbud tips, both in four sizes (ranging from extra small to extra large). These are Sony’s widespread EP-EX10A and EP-NI1010 series tips – so replacements are easy to find if you need them later down the line.
You get a USB-C audio box for use with PCs, too. This can be used to store settings from the compatible Inzone Hub software, like your desired equalizer pre-sets or custom profiles. It also lets you use a dedicated spatial sound mode, giving a good impression of sound in a 3D space, albeit at the cost of some overall fidelity.
Between uses, you can store everything in the included carrying case that benefits from a surprisingly unique design. It’s divided into two compartments (one for the earbuds and the other for the audio box) joined together by a springy rubberized strip.
The underside of the strip has little magnetic buttons, clipping down to keep everything in place. It might be a bit hard to imagine, but it works really well and is much more practical than the cheap pouches included with most earbuds these days.
You also get a little Inzone-branded cable tidy, which is a neat bonus.
Sony Inzone E9 review: Performance
- Clear sound
- Highly tuned for FPS games
- Underwhelming with other genres
The Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones have quite a flat sound profile out of the box, though this is presumably intentional. There’s not a lot of bass leading to quite an unexciting sound. Playing through some Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Assassin’s Creed Shadows on PS5, key story moments felt a tad muted with the backing music lacking the punch wanted to actually drive the emotion residence.
You possibly can handle this considerably by tweaking the EQ settings within the suitable Inzone Hub software program, however there’s solely a lot that you are able to do to extend the bass on {hardware} that’s not designed for it. For story-focused video games, the outcomes have been by no means punchier than what you get out of the field with the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds and much much less efficient than even low-cost wired over-ear units just like the Corsair HS50.
This lack of bass makes much more sense if you soar right into a aggressive shooter like Counter-Strike 2. Flashbangs and grenades are not overwhelming and don’t threaten to deafen you should you’re taking part in at greater volumes. Gunfire is extra subdued, serving to you keep targeted in firefights.
The sound is crystal clear too, with a formidable degree of directionality that makes it simple to trace enemy actions utilizing key appears like footsteps. It’s very spectacular, particularly given how properly the impact holds up in additional frantic conditions. Diving into an explosive match of Nuketown in Black Ops 7, I used to be in a position to precisely hear the place close by opponents have been transferring, even towards the fixed barrage of explosions conjured by grenades and killstreaks.
The element is superb, which is borderline important in tense extraction shooters corresponding to Escape From Tarkov, the place with the ability to discern the delicate snapping of a twig can usually imply the distinction between life and demise. In the event you’re presently one of many many individuals devoting each waking second to Arc Raiders, I might see the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones being well worth the asking worth on this reality alone.
Regardless of providing no energetic noise cancellation (ANC), the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones do a commendable job of blocking out background noise by advantage of the sturdy seal of their match. No, it’s not as efficient because the ANC of the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, however it’s ok to drown out family sounds and conversations with the quantity set at a good degree.
Though very unusual within the IEM market, I’m additionally slightly disillusioned that the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones don’t include a small built-in microphone. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but it surely did imply that I needed to attain for my Final VR2000 gaming earbuds once I wished to speak with a buddy whereas taking part in an Xbox Collection X sport.
Should I buy the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider…
Not sure whether the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones are worth it for you? Check out these two compelling alternatives.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Sony Inzone E9 |
SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds |
Sony Inzone Buds |
|
Price |
$149.99 / £129 / AU$209 |
$159.99 / £159.99 / AU$359 |
$199 / £179.99 / AU$249 |
|
Weight |
0.16oz / 4.7g |
0.19oz / 5.3g (each bud); 1.7oz / 48.7g (case) |
0.2oz / 6.8g |
|
Compatibility |
PC, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Mobile |
GameBuds for PlayStation: PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Meta Quest 2/3, mobile; GameBuds for Xbox: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Meta Quest 2/3 |
PS5, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, Mobile |
|
Connection type |
Wired (3.5mm / USB-C with audio box) |
2.4Ghz (via USB-C), Bluetooth 5.3 (mobile) |
2.4GHz wireless (via dongle), Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Battery life |
N/A |
Up to 40 hours (buds 10 hours; case 30 hours) |
Up to 24 hours (buds 12 hours; case 12 hours) |
|
Features |
USB-C audio box, spatial audio |
360° Spatial Audio, Qi Wireless Charging Case, 6mm neodymium drivers, four-mic ANC, transparency mode, in-ear detection/sensor, IP55 rating, fast charge, companion app with more than 100 presets |
360 spatial sound, optimization for your ear, tap controls. 8.4mm drivers, IPX4 waterproof |
|
Software |
Inzone Hub (PC) |
Arctis Companion App (mobile), SteelSeries Sonar (PC) |
Inzone Hub (PC) |
How I tested the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones
- Tested for nearly three months
- Used with a wide range of platforms
- Compared to lots of other products
I tested the Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming headphones over a period of roughly two and a half months. During that time, they were my primary gaming earbuds across all of my usual platforms. This included PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
I attempted the earbuds with a wide array of video games, starting from story-based titles corresponding to Murderer’s Creed Shadows and Steel Gear Stable: Snake Eater to a number of the hottest FPS video games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Black Ops 7, Valorant, and Counter-Strike 2.
All through my time with the earbuds, I in contrast their efficiency to my hands-on testing of a variety of different gaming audio units throughout the worth spectrum.
First reviewed December-January 2026
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