If you prefer earbuds over gaming headsets, our favorite pair of wireless gaming earbuds are on sale for a limited time. Both the white-and-black and all-black models of Sony’s Inzone Buds are discounted to $178 (was $200) at Amazon. This matches the lowest price since launch last holiday. Amazon hasn’t listed an end date for the deal, but if the retailer sells out, you can grab a pair of Inzone Buds from Best Buy for $180.
Made by Sony Electronics–not PlayStation–the Inzone Buds are designed for PC gaming, but they are fully compatible with PS5, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, Android, and iPhone 15 via the 2.4GHz dongle. They offer more bang for your buck than PlayStation’s Pulse Explore earbuds ($200). Since they’re equipped with the same drivers as the popular WF-1000XM5 earbuds that carry a list price of $300 (on sale for $52 off at Amazon) and implement Sony’s excellent noise-canceling tech, they’re an easy recommendation at full price. PlayStation’s Pulse Explore wireless earbuds do well in the sound department, and while they do a good job isolating noise, they aren’t equipped with true ANC.
$178 (was $200)
Sony Inzone Buds are available in either a combo white/black color scheme or black. Both models are eligible for the current Amazon deal. Along with superb active noise cancellation and up to 12 hours of battery life (24 with the charging case), PC users can use the Inzone Hub software to fully customize their performance. Those settings, including one of up to 256 sound profiles, can be synced to the earbuds and used on PS5 and other devices. The PS5’s audio features, such as Tempest 3D Audio and Dolby Atmos, are fully compatible with the Inzone Buds.
Like most wireless earbuds, the Inzone Buds have tap/touch controls that work well. You can use the controls to turn ANC on or off, adjust the volume, tinker with the sound mix, and more. Tap controls can be programmed to different functions. If you worry about latency with wireless headsets, the 2.4GHz connection has only 30ms of latency, which helps create a seamless and reliable listening experience. An AI-assisted microphone enhances your voice to help your words ring out clearly to your teammates.
The gaming earbud space isn’t loaded with anywhere close to as many competitors as the established gaming headset market, but Inzone Buds are the best we’ve used so far. Sony’s experience manufacturing high-end earbuds certainly helped when designing the Inzone Buds. They are comfortable to wear for hours of continuous use and inside the box you’ll find four sets of silicone eartips of varying sizes.
The biggest downside to the earbuds is that many users will the included USB-C dongle on mobile, as its Bluetooth LE Audio connection isn’t supported by many devices. Some newer Android phones have Bluetooth LE, but Apple’s iPhones aren’t part of that small ecosystem. iOS users with an iPhone 15 can simply connect the USB-C dongle for playback, but if you have an iPhone with a Lightning port, you’ll need a Lightning to USB-C adapter that supports audio. (including iPhone). This $15 adapter works perfectly in our experience, but it obviously adds a dangling cord to your iPhone and introduces the risk of diminishing sound quality and increased latency–we never noticed this, but different adapters and phones may lead to different results.
If you want to read more about Sony’s gaming earbuds, check out our Sony Inzone Buds review.
$228 (was $300)
Amazon also has discounts on over-ear Inzone gaming headsets, including the premium Inzone H9 wireless headset, which takes cues from Sony’s flagship WH-1000XM5 headphones, for $228 (was $300). Speaking of the WH-1000XM5 headphones, they are on sale for $100 off at Amazon.
The H9 uses the same leatherette and memory foam cushions as the WH-1000XM5. It has ANC, full support with Inzone Hub for customization, and is compatible with all of the PS5’s audio features. It has 2.4GHz and Bluetooth for wireless connectivity, but it’s worth noting the dongle is USB-A, not USB-C. On the plus side, it has wider Bluetooth compatibility, as it doesn’t use Bluetooth LE–so it’ll sync via Bluetooth to your iPhone, Android phone, Switch, Steam Deck, etc.
The mid-range wireless Inzone H5 headset without noise-canceling tech is on sale for $128 (was $150).
Here’s a list of all of the Sony Inzone audio deals available now at Amazon:
The Inzone Buds are the best earbuds we’ve tried in the still-small gaming category, but they aren’t your only solid option. Asus has two different models of its ROG Cetra: the high-end SpeedNova with 2.4GHz and Bluetooth 5.3 for $190 (was $200) and the Bluetooth-only ROG Cetra for $80 (was $100). Both support Bluetooth connections on a wider array of devices, including iPhone, Android, Nintendo Switch, and Steam Deck.
Source link
