For most of my gaming profession, I used both the audio system from no matter TV I had or the headset I used to be utilizing on the given time. Needless to say, outcomes assorted. There had been instances once I wished the benefit of simply turning on the PlayStation and taking part in no matter sport I had on the go, in all its sensible sound, however the TV by no means provided something that might stack up. Other instances, the headset simply wasn’t one thing I wished to put on whereas I used to be presently taking part in. The Katana V2X modified all that just by being part of my setup.
The Sound BlasterX Katana V2X Gaming Soundbar is about as simple to make use of as you possibly can hope for, and the unboxing isn’t any totally different. In the field, you get the soundbar itself, the subwoofer, a digital optical cable, a USB-A to USB-C cable, the distant management, an influence cable, and a pair of wall mount brackets. Weighing simply over 3 lbs, the soundbar is straightforward to position and transfer round, and whereas the subwoofer is twice as heavy, it doesn’t really feel as cumbersome as one would possibly suppose. Its slim profile makes it match simply into tight areas, making it the proper companion below a desk or beside your TV.
When it involves sound high quality, soundbars are extraordinarily hit-or-miss. I’ve used some that simply don’t supply the depth of sound that I used to be in search of, and a few that provided an excessive amount of. The Katana V2X falls proper in the course of the sphere with the variety of totally different sound choices it affords.
With 5 totally different sound sources accessible: auxiliary, Bluetooth, Optical, TV, and USB, the person is spoiled for alternative of the place they need the sound to come back from. I selected to go along with Optical for my PlayStation 5, and it actually was the only option for me because the connection was direct to the console, and easy to overlook. Sure, I had one further system to activate once I wished to sport, but it surely’s a small worth to pay for the sound high quality I used to be getting on the common now.
“The Sound BlasterX Katana V2X Gaming Soundbar is about as easy to use as you can hope for…”
The Katana V2X Soundbar options 2 tweeters and a pair of midrange drivers, delivering a few of the most excellent sound high quality I’ve ever heard. Soon, the music and sounds of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 got here bursting by means of the soundbar, and I rapidly discovered myself turning the grasp quantity down a bit to make it much less aggressive, a lot to my associate’s appreciation.
When it involves the subwoofer, there are completely instances once I need it on and instances once I need it off, and the Katana V2X presents you the flexibility to show down the subwoofer. With a variety of -10db to +10db, there may be a variety of vary accessible so that you can get the precise quantity of bass on your given state of affairs. Sometimes I discovered myself turning all of it the way in which up when taking part in Gran Turismo 7 merely to listen to the rumble of the engine far deeper than my TV might ever present.
When it involves controlling the Katana V2X, you’ve gotten an in-depth choice and a primary choice at your disposal: the distant management and the bodily buttons on the soundbar itself, respectively. Starting with the latter, you get 6 buttons on the highest of the soundbar: energy, quantity +/-, supply, mode, and SXFi. All the buttons are self-explanatory, aside from SXFi, which I’ll contact on in a short time.
“The Katana V2X has exceeded my expectations by having a small physical footprint, impeccable sound quality, ease of use, and range of use.”
The distant presents a variety of choices, permitting customers to manage quantity, subwoofer decibel ranges, sound modes, enter sources, RGB patterns and RGB brightness. While most of those settings perform as easy on or off toggles, the RGB lighting contains a number of preset patterns. After biking by means of the choices throughout preliminary setup, we settled on one that enhances our lounge color scheme and haven’t modified it since.
As talked about earlier, the Katana V2X features a top-mounted button for SXFi, Creative’s headphone integration technology known as Super X-Fi Headphone Holography. Using the function requires bodily connecting wired headphones to the soundbar and transferring a sound profile from a cell system by means of the SXFi app. Because of this setup, the function is greatest suited to desk use. As I don’t personal any wired headsets, I used to be unable to check this perform.
Creative has additionally developed a companion app for the Katana V2X that enables for deeper customization. Through the app, customers can entry the mixer, assign customized buttons for particular situations, alter RGB lighting settings, and extra. The app is out there on Android, iOS and Windows and macOS.
For a very long time, I used to be hesitant to make use of a soundbar in my gaming and tv setup, because it felt like an pointless addition. That perspective has modified. The Katana V2X exceeded my expectations with its compact footprint, spectacular sound high quality, ease of use and flexibility. My solely hesitation is the worth. At $399, it sits on the upper finish, however the total efficiency and have set outweigh the price. If the price range permits, it’s a simple advice for players trying to improve their audio expertise.