Sony H6 Air Review – An AMAZING Open Back Lightweight Gaming Headset

Sony is no stranger to making impressive headphones and headsets. The H9 II I’ve been using for months now is clear evidence of that, it’s lightweight, sounds amazing, the mic is fantastic, and even has active noise cancellation. So, if this H6 Air is even close to the H9 II, this would be one hell of a headset. Let’s find out if that’s the case, or if the hefty price tag is too offputting. 

First, what you get in the box. That one is pretty simple, you get the headset, the detachable microphone, the long four pole 3.5mm cable, and a USB C external DAC. The headset itself is wired only, although you do get an on-headset mute button which is large, textured and super easy to both find and feel if it’s active, and on-headset volume control with a roller, also on the left earcup. The drivers are almost the same 40mm low impedance drivers you’ll find in their MV1 studio headphones which means technically these should actually sound better than the H9 II’s I use. Especially thanks to these being open-backed, you get a much wider sound stage, and room for even richer sound. At least in theory.

In practice, my god these sound great. Every time I get a feeling for how good these are, I get surprised by the depth of sound, the range, and the outright quality these things offer. Even at ear-splitting volumes this doesn’t distort, and you get this richness to the sound that makes it feel like you are in the room with the band. The only thing I’d note is that these can feel a little too flat at times – more analytical listening than immersive – but only just. These are still more than immersive enough, and I’d happily sit and listen through these for hours. For gaming that clean sound makes them phenomenal. You can easily hear footsteps, or just enjoy the ambiance of the virtual world, and honestly the open back design only makes that a better experience. Obviously if you live in a noisy environment you might prefer closed back and ANC, but if you can get away without total isolation, this is genuinely a better experience. 

The microphone is obviously an important part of this gaming headset, and I’m happy to report that it sounds great! It does an amazing job in providing a clear sound with an impressive range for what it is. It isn’t quite as good as the H9 II, but it’s more than good enough for a gaming headset. In fact I’d say it’s better than most other gaming headsets. The only downside is its complete inability to deal with plosives and breathing. I’ve done my best to position this well for this video, but even still I suspect you’ve been hearing a lot of my breaths and pops from plosive sounds. It’s an art to getting this positioned well, but that feels like a reasonable tradeoff for such a great quality. Oh, and I should note that when the mic is plugged in and not muted, you have a permanent side tone – at least when using the USB C DAC anyway. 

The final thing I must note is listed right in the name – H6 Air – because honestly that’s what they feel like. This thing, admittedly without the cable or microphone, weighs just 199 grams. That’s 60 grams lighter than the H9 II, despite having 10mm larger drivers, and with a super easily adjustable headband and full movement on the cups, this feels like you are barely wearing them. They are feather-weight. There is next to no clamping pressure because there doesn’t need to be! They stay on your head, and you just forget they are there, then stand up and yank the cord and suddenly remember you’re wearing a headset. Genuinely, this is the most comfortable headset I’ve used, and to add to that the luxuriously soft ear cups are just the cherry on top. You will have no problems using these for hours on end, for both gaming and general use. The USB C DAC means this works with your phone, with consoles like a PS5 (sans DAC), and even with a PC, although that last one is a little more difficult since most desktops only have USB C ports on the rear IO, and while the 3.5mm cable is decently long, it might be a little short especially if your system is on the floor. I would have much preferred Sony to include a four pole to dual three pole splitter in the box so you can use these as a split headphone and microphone like most PCs offer – especially on the front panel – but a splitter isn’t a big deal to buy at the same time if you need it.

The big catch here, of course, is the price tag. £180 for a wired gaming headset might seem a bit rich for some folks’ blood, but considering you get the same drivers as a £400 headset, PLUS an excellent microphone, AND a USB C DAC, well that might just reset your expectations. That USB C DAC by the way means you can use Sony’s INZONE software to make some tweaks to things like the EQ. Comparing to the £300 H9 IIs, for outright listening experience I think these might be a touch better – the open back brings a wider sound stage which just sounds better – although the actual user experience is still better on the H9 IIs for me. But for £120 less, well I can see why you might opt for these things instead. These aren’t cheap, but you sure do get a lot for your money.