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Inventive has a powerful basis in dwelling audio, and its newest soundbar is a testomony to its efforts on this space during the last three years. The primary-gen Katana had rather a lot going for it and was designed to be a finances choice tailor-made for avid gamers, and the Katana V2 follows in the same vein, choosing up just a few new options that enable it to face out a bit of bit extra.
For starters, the Katana V2 places out much more sound, and it has Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, Inventive’s wonderful SXFI virtualization tech, and new gaming-focused options. Inventive says that it integrated concepts from the $1,000 SXFI Service and used it right here to make the Katana V2 a significantly better general product. I used the Katana V2 for over three months, and I’m assured in saying that that is the most effective soundbar you may discover at present for gaming — significantly for below $500.
Inventive Katana V2: Pricing and availability
Inventive unveiled the Katana V2 on the finish of 2021, and the soundbar made its debut in international markets beginning January 2022. It initially launched for $330, however it’s now promoting on Amazon within the U.S. for $380, a $50 improve.
The soundbar can also be obtainable in different international locations the place Inventive has an official presence. It retails for £299 ($373) within the UK, €330 ($348) in Germany, and the equal of $370 in most components of Asia. Inventive gives an ordinary one-year guarantee with the soundbar.
Inventive Katana V2: What you may love
The Katana V2 has a clear design that belies its value, with the soundbar that includes an all-black brushed metallic design that does not name out an excessive amount of consideration to itself. Construct high quality is on par with soundbars that value thrice as a lot, and you will find an LCD panel on the entrance, which is equivalent to the one on the SXFI Service.
The display offers you see what enter is at present chosen, and you will find a 3.5mm jack subsequent to it, ideally suited for plugging in a headset. The soundbar is customary out of plastic, however you may discover metallic grilles protecting the entrance and the tweeters which can be positioned on the prime. You additionally get buttons on the prime for powering the gadget on or off, pairing Bluetooth units, altering the supply, mode, toggling SXFI virtualization, and adjusting quantity.
Whereas the buttons on the gadget are nifty, you may be utilizing the distant to regulate the Katana V2, and Inventive did an ideal job with the bundled distant. It has an ergonomic design and allows you to management all of the options on the soundbar, together with switching between the varied modes, adjusting the subwoofer’s bass, and there are six buttons which can be user-configurable.
My favourite design characteristic on the Katana V2 must be the RGB lightbar that runs throughout the underside part of the soundbar. I examined the Katana V2 with my gaming rig, however I used it predominantly as a multimedia soundbar, pairing it with Xgimi’s Aura UST projector within the bed room. No matter the place you are utilizing the soundbar, the RGB lighting makes lots of distinction — when you’re into that kind of factor.
For those who’re not a fan of RGB lighting, you may swap between different colours — the lightbar has seven sections that may be managed individually — or simply use the music sync mode to alter colours primarily based on music taking part in from the soundbar. Alternatively, you may flip off the lightbar altogether.
The dimensions of the Katana V2 is one thing that Inventive paid lots of consideration to; the 600mm width of the soundbar is designed to make sure it may possibly slot beneath a 27-inch gaming monitor. It’s taller at 62mm, with the rationale for the elevated top being the built-in RGB lightbar on the backside. That stated, you should have no points becoming it in entrance of a monitor or TV.
Inventive went with a brand new design for the material dome tweeter that permits it to ship extra detailed sound, with the Katana V2 that includes two 3/4-inch tweeters and two 2.5-inch mid-range drivers. The devoted subwoofer homes a 6.5-inch driver, and it will get loud. Inventive stated that the subwoofer makes use of a bigger cone to ship rather more sound, however that it tailor-made the design to supply a extra detailed sound signature consistent with the Service.
What does that translate to in real-world use? Properly, the Katana V2 could be one of many best-sounding choices at this value level, and never only for gaming. The sound high quality is classy, with the subwoofer delivering rumbling bass that provides lots of dimension to video games and flicks, and the mid-range drivers and tweeters do a wonderful job as nicely.
The soundbar simply delivers room-filling sound and goes as much as 250W of whole energy, and the sound constancy is among the many finest I’ve heard from any sub-$500 soundbar. This is not a Dolby Atmos soundbar just like the Service, however it does a improbable job with directionality nonetheless.
You additionally get SXFI virtualization, and it’s phenomenal — it’s designed to be used with headsets related over USB-C and provides lots of dimension to the sound. On condition that the Katana V2 is catered towards avid gamers, Inventive added two options to the soundbar that leverage SXFI : Scout Mode makes use of in-game virtualization to allow you to hear sounds which can be additional away, and it really works exceedingly nicely.
However my favourite characteristic right here is Battle Mode; this characteristic permits you to higher perceive directionality so you may work out the place your enemies are in titles like Valorant. I wasn’t offered on these options at first, however they do make a tangible distinction throughout gaming. Inventive stated that it labored rather a lot on how audio cues are triggered in video games to fine-tune the options.
Since you’ll seemingly use a headset as a rule for gaming, Inventive added a 3.5mm jack on the entrance of the Katana V2. This makes it simple to modify between a headset and the soundbar’s built-in drivers, and on that notice, Inventive did an ideal job tweaking the sound signature of the Katana V2 for gaming. There’s even a built-in mic right here, and whereas it will get the job finished, you’d ideally wish to use a devoted choice.
Because the Katana V2 carriers Sound Blaster branding, you may discover a huge array of customizability. There are three sound modes out of the field — Motion pictures, Music, and Gaming — and also you get full EQ customization, so you may modify the sound to your liking. There’s additionally a digital 5.1 encompass sound mode, and it labored rather a lot higher than I believed it could at projecting sound.
As for connectivity, you may discover no scarcity of choices on the Katana V2. There’s Bluetooth 5.0, HDMI ARC, USB-C, aux in, optical in, and SXFI out. You possibly can simply join the soundbar to a TV or projector because of HDMI ARC, and when you’re utilizing it with a monitor for gaming, USB-C is good for pairing it together with your gaming machine.
Inventive Katana V2: What wants work
Actually, there’s not an entire lot incorrect with the Katana V2. The one annoyance was Bluetooth connectivity; it is not as simple as toggling Bluetooth in your telephone and connecting to the soundbar. You may should undergo Inventive’s cell app to manually pair your telephone with the soundbar, and Inventive might have made it a bit of simpler.
The addition of Wi-Fi would have made it a extra feature-rich soundbar, however apart from that, I haven’t got any points with the product as such.
Inventive Katana V2: The competitors
For those who’re in search of a soundbar predominantly for gaming, there are just a few selections obtainable. The Razer Leviathan is an effective choice to contemplate, and whereas it does not come near the audio constancy that you simply get with the Katana V2, it takes up even much less room and retails for simply $190. It’s a good different when you’re available in the market for a finances gaming soundbar.
And if you would like an built-in choice that has all of the fundamentals coated, you must check out the Yamaha YAS-209. This $350 soundbar is likely one of the best-sounding choices available in the market, and it comes with a wi-fi sub and loads of connectivity. It isn’t ideally suited for gaming on a desk, however when you’re utilizing a PS5 and want one thing that pairs together with your TV, it’s a good general alternative.
Inventive Katana V2: Do you have to purchase it?
You can purchase this if:
- You desire a soundbar that does not take up an excessive amount of room
- You want wonderful sound and a devoted sub with highly effective bass
- You need EQ customization and loads of connectivity choices
- You are in search of a soundbar for gaming that works simply as nicely for multimedia
You should not purchase this if:
Inventive nailed the temporary with the Katana V2. The soundbar has a chic design, delivers unimaginable sound, and has all of the connectivity choices you need in a soundbar on this class. Then there’s RGB lighting, distinctive gaming options, and the flexibility to make use of Inventive’s SXFI virtualization tech with a headset.
Briefly, the Katana V2 is likely one of the most feature-packed soundbars obtainable proper now, and it is a wonderful alternative not only for gaming, but additionally TV exhibits and flicks. I used to be prepared to present this a rating of 4.5 out of 5 primarily based solely on the RGB lighting, and I am glad that it sounds nice and has a boatload of different options.
There is not actually something lacking right here, and the sound high quality mixed with the connectivity choices make this among the finest finances soundbars you should purchase at present.
Inventive Sound Blaster Katana V2
The Katana V2 ticks all the best bins for a gaming soundbar. It has RGB lighting, distinctive options that provide you with an edge whereas gaming, stellar sound high quality for video games, motion pictures, and TV exhibits, and a smooth design. To sum it up, this is likely one of the finest soundbars for below $500.
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