HARDWARE REVIEW | INZONE Buds

The INZONE brand is a product line from Sony that focuses more on the gamers among us. Via Sony we had the opportunity to try out the new INZONE Buds, which are being launched with a suggested retail price of €200.00.

Contents and technical information

The INZONE Buds (WF-G700N) are available in two colors, black and white. We were sent the black buds for the review.

Contents

• Warranty card
• Hybrid silicone eartips
• Charging case
• Reference guide
• USB cable
• USB-zendontvanger

Technical information

• Headphones
• Type: Closed, dynamic
• Driverunit: 8,4 mm
• Water resistance: Equivalent to IPX4
• 360 spatial sound for gaming: Yes
• Microphone
• Microphone mute function: Touch
• Battery
• Battery Charging Time: Approx. 2 o’clock
• Quick charge: 5 minutes for 1 hour of listening
• Battery life:
• USB transceiver connection: Max
• 12 hours (NC off)/Max. 11 o’clock (NC on)
• Bluetooth (LE audio) connection: Max
• 24 hours (NC off)/Max. 18 hours (NC on)
• Battery life (with continuous communication):
• USB transceiver connection: Max
• 12 hours (NC off)/Max. 11 o’clock (NC on)
• Bluetooth (LE audio) connection: Max
• 11 hours (NC off)/Max. 10 hours (NC on)
• Dradloos
• 2.4 Ghz: Ja
• LE audio: Ja
• LE audio-profiel: TMAP, CSIP, VCP, CCP
• LE audio supported audio format(s): LC3
• Bluetooth version: Version 5.3
• Effective Bluetooth range: Approx. 10 m
• Suppression of ambient noise
• Noise cancelling: Ja
• Ambient Sound Mode: Yes
• Quick attention: Ja

A closer look

Software

The earbuds come without associated software and can be used straight away.

Experience

To start with, we are very positive about the build quality of the charging case, but also the ear buds themselves. The ear buds are sturdy and radiate a premium look. In addition to being a storage case, the charging case is also a charging point for your ear buds. This means they are always charged and you can charge the case somewhere else in between. The dongle that comes with the ear buds can be used with devices that contain a USB-C connector.

We have used them with the PlayStation 5 and with our desktop PC. On the dongle you will find a handy switch to switch between PC and PS5/mobile, because you can also use them on your smartphone. Of course you can also connect them via Bluetooth, but this is very limited with only the option for an Android smartphone. With both our iPhone and desktop PC we could not connect the ear buds via Bluetooth, because they were simply not found. Why Sony only allows a very limited number of devices here is of course the question, because the competition simply allows this.

With the ear buds you will find some silicone earplugs that you can use to adjust the ear buds to the size of your ear canal. Fortunately, we were lucky and the earplugs that were already installed worked well for us right away. We were able to shake our heads without them falling out, so they can definitely survive a heavy headbanging session. We used the ear buds with the PlayStation 5 and our desktop for several hours without fatigue or other discomfort.

The ear buds come with active noise canceling and yours truly is quite sensitive to this, but we had no problems with the INZONE Buds. If we had no sounds on, we couldn’t tolerate this for hours on end, but it is less aggressive than, for example, the Sony 1000XM3 headphones that we used to have.

You will not find physical buttons on the ear buds and you work with capacitive buttons on the buds themselves. This allows you to adjust the volume, among other things. With the right ear bud you can adjust the volume by pressing long or short. On the left you can adjust the noise canceling or activate the microphone.

Sony is no stranger to the audio world and we are very satisfied with the quality of the sound with these ear buds. The different frequencies come through well and the bass is not exaggerated, which can sometimes be the case with Sony products. We tried the ear buds with different genres of music and also with certain games, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Battlefield 2042 and Alan Wake 2. With each game we received good feedback from, for example, footsteps.

The battery is certainly sufficient to get through the daily sessions and with the charging case you can go an extra day without having to plug in the ear buds to charge. Nevertheless, loading the ear buds is also fairly fast and you can quickly get back to gaming. We might have liked to see the charging cable a little longer, because to hang it somewhere you will have to let your case dangle in the air anyway.

Conclusion

The INZONE Buds are definitely worth a look if you are looking for ear buds that you want to use with your PlayStation 5. The undersigned has been looking for ear buds for a while and these seem to be the first really interesting ear buds to possibly purchase. . We are just curious what the PlayStation ear buds can bring, but the price tag certainly makes it interesting. The build quality is good, as is the battery capacity for gaming sessions. The sound is of course excellent and the dongle makes it easy to switch between systems without having to fiddle around. Bluetooth is limited to Android devices only and for us that is the biggest drawback to the INZONE buds.