BlasterX Katana Epson WorkForce
A soundbar for Windows PCs? It may sound crazy, but you’ll fall in love with the Katana’s output
Until now, soundbars have been associated with TVs. That’s despite modern incarnations offering not only TV inputs but wireless streaming, Bluetooth connectivity and even USB playback. The Creative Katana offers an extra trick: it can be connected to a Windows PC through USB and even provides a line out/mic in for your headphones. Creative even describes the speaker’s primary purpose as an “Under Monitor Audio System” (the not-so-catchy UMAS for short).
At £233 inc VAT, it’s pitched up against some tough TV-focused competitors, including the Cambridge Audio TV2 (v2) at around £200. Creative packs in a lot for the price, though, including a subwoofer, a remote and two wall-mount brackets.
Its build quality and looks reflect that price, too. The brushed-aluminium design couples well with the RGB light strip under the speaker, making the Katana your go-to disco bar. The lighting can be customised through the Sound Blaster Connect for Windows application (Mac users must phone a friend), and while some might find it garish, I love the fluid transition of colours. And you can always just switch the lights off.
The Katana can be used as a standalone speaker – either via Bluetooth with your smartphone or a flash drive plugged into the USB Type-A port – but to get the most out of it, you’ll need a Windows PC, connected via USB and controlled through the Sound Blaster Connect software. This is easy to use and offers a plethora of options. For example, it’s possible to select preconfigured settings designed by professionals in the music, film and game industry, or quickly toggle settings.
The Sound section is the most interesting. Here, you can play around with effects such as Immersion, Crystalizer and Dialog Plus. you can also enable Dolby Digital sound. Through the Voice tab, you’ll have the option to reduce background noise – a simple toggle, useful for those who plug their microphones into the soundbar. The app is also the place where you can fully customise the bar’s RGB lights.
The Katana is a relatively small soundbar, since it’s designed to sit under your monitor instead of a large TV. Don’t let its size fool you, though: there are four drivers crammed inside – two upward-firing 2.5in mid-bass drivers and two front-facing 34mm tweeters – plus a 5.25in driver found in the separate passive subwoofer.
The soundbar includes a multicore digital signal processor (DSP), which controls three separate amps with a total output of 75RMS/150W peak power. Impressively, that proved capable of delivering largeroom sound without distortion.
The Katana supports 24-bit 96kHz audio through its Dolby Digital decoder (only via PC connection), and when connected via optical or USB it doubles up as a sound card, bypassing the audio processing on your computer. Connected to a PC with Creative’s software, you can even enable virtual 7.1 surround sound.
This bar does have its limitations, though. In “neutral” mode and with bass set to +2 (it can be adjusted from -4 to +4 depending on your preferences and room), I found the Katana capable of producing great sub-bass frequencies, where the lows extend well; the downside was that it cut off the lower sub-bass regions. Given the small size of the subwoofer and driver (5.25in), this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Its mid-bass has fantastic control, and explosions in movies and gunfire in games are accurate and not too bloated. However, due to the relatively small size of the drivers, you don’t get the thumping feeling you do
“Its brushed-aluminium design couples well with the RGB light strip, making the Katana your go-to disco bar”
with other speakers, such as the Cambridge Audio TV2 (v2).
Lastly, the Katana delivers an expansive soundstage that can be further widened using Creative’s software. I always look out for instrument separation in speakers, especially soundbars, as there’s a tendency for them to sound congested and jumbled. This is where the Katana shines, providing an immersive sound that doesn’t jumble frequencies. This comes down to the DSPcontrolled amplifier, which assigns the right frequencies to the five drivers and handles the crossover between them. There’s little here to fault; my main criticism is the price, which is considerably more expensive than the more refined Cambridge Audio TV2 (v2). However, the Creative Sound BlasterX Katana is still a great soundbar and much more flexible than the TV2. For keen gamers who want something flexible for movies and music as well, it’s a great buy.
SPECIFICATIONS 2.1 soundbar plus subwoofer remote control multi-core DSP 75RMS/150W peak power digital 5.1 audio via optical in
virtual 7.1 audio via Windows PC optical in Bluetooth 4.2 AAC and SBC codec support USB Type-A 600 x 79 x 60mm (WDH) 1.5kg 2yr RTB warranty