Creative Launches Sound Blaster Katana SE Sound Bar that Doesn't Need a Sub-woofer

[btarunr]

Creative Technology today announced the release of the Sound Blaster Katana SE, the latest gaming soundbar to join the ranks of the well-established Katana series, which now allows users to effortlessly enjoy powerful audio without the heft. With its award-winning bi-amplified four-driver system and Creative's proprietary multi-core DSP, this latest soundbar can offer rich and powerful audio with excellent clarity and volume, even without the need for a subwoofer. Coupled with Super X-Fi technology, 5.1 virtual surround capabilities, and versatile connectivity options, the Sound Blaster Katana SE is the ideal soundbar for gamers, movie lovers, and music enthusiasts who want an elevated audio experience without compromising on space or audio quality.

The Sound Blaster Katana SE offers a seamless yet powerful audio solution for users looking to take their audio game up a notch. Fitted with 0.75" fabric dome tweeters that help to produce cleaner and more refined highs and upgraded dual up-firing 3" mid-bass drivers that deliver full-sounding bass, this latest soundbar surpasses expectations to deliver an impressive audio experience that belies its size. Like its predecessor, the Sound Blaster Katana SE is also a certified Dolby Audio decoder, which allows users to easily recreate the cinematic audio experience within the comfort of their own home.



What sets the Sound Blaster Katana SE apart is its Super X-Fi technology, which allows users to enjoy an immersive audio experience through their headphones, perfect for late-night game binges without disturbing the neighbors. Moreover, gamers can also activate the SXFI Battle Mode and Scout Mode to gain a competitive advantage in FPS games by accurately pinpointing their enemy's location with enhanced in-battle audio cues and sound detection.

By connecting the soundbar to the Creative app, users can personalize their audio experience with the Acoustic Engine suite and choose their preferred RGB illumination modes, making it uniquely their own. These customized settings can be saved as profiles on either the app or the programmable buttons on the remote control, giving users easy access to their favourite sound and lighting configurations. Furthermore, the soundbar can be easily mounted on the wall, making it a convenient and space-saving addition to any home entertainment setup.

The latest soundbar also works as a one-stop audio hub with a wide variety of connectivity options, including USB, HDMI ARC, optical port, headphone jack, and wireless Bluetooth 5.0. It also works with various platforms, from gaming consoles such as the PS5, PS4, Xbox series consoles, and Nintendo Switch to PCs, Macs, and mobile devices. The all-in-one soundbar also features a built-in beamforming microphone, which allows users to jump on calls directly from the soundbar, making it an ideal feature for video conferencing.

Lastly, this all-in-one soundbar enriches the Katana Series by presenting a more comprehensive line-up of audio solutions to cater to diverse use cases, making it easier for users to find the perfect fit for their audio needs.

Sound Blaster Katana SE is priced at SGD $449 and is available at Creative.com.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[claes]

Sad times for creative

 

[LabRat 891]

Sad times for creative

Been some flavor thereof, for years; decade+, really.

I don't "hate" Creative, but I am genuinely surprised that they're still in business.

 

[Prima.Vera]

They had and still have some of the best, however way overpriced, sound cards.
The big hit from them was when the retarded idiots from Microsoft decided to pull the plug for 3D Sound in Windows, basically killing one of the best things that ever happened in game industry.

 

[Dragokar]

They had and still have some of the best, however way overpriced, sound cards.
The big hit from them was when the retarded idiots from Microsoft decided to pull the plug for 3D Sound in Windows, basically killing one of the best things that ever happened in game industry.

I do agree, the X and G series do have some nice devices.

 

[claes]

I guess… Any decent external DAC will crush’m though

 

[PLAfiller]

Sad times for creative

How do you figure? This particular news feed is about an all-in-one soundbar, same item as other brands like JBL/ JVC make. I for one would want an all-in-one soundbar, but this offering from Creative is WAYYY over my budget. At the same time they do have some of the best budget soundbars like Creative Stage V2 that received the "Budget award" from TPU.

 

[claes]

They used to make sound cards that competed with external and professional AICs, but no longer. They used to make powered speakers that were some of the best on the market, but no longer. They used to make hi-fi products, now they make soundbars, which are great if that’s what you want/need, but a shadow of their former glory.

But mostly I was thinking of the “who needs a subwoofer when you’ve got 3-inch woofers that deliver ‘full-sounding’ bass” press release when I posted

 

[kawice]

They had and still have some of the best, however way overpriced, sound cards.
The big hit from them was when the retarded idiots from Microsoft decided to pull the plug for 3D Sound in Windows, basically killing one of the best things that ever happened in game industry.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with their lack of support and buggy drivers on newer operating systems, reduced quality and overpriced hardware.

Creative did to 3D sound what Nvidia did with Physx - make it monopoly and proprietary thing. And the world said frack you. I'm not sorry for them.

 

[Chaitanya]

They had and still have some of the best, however way overpriced, sound cards.
The big hit from them was when the retarded idiots from Microsoft decided to pull the plug for 3D Sound in Windows, basically killing one of the best things that ever happened in game industry.

Back then Creative used to sell their chipsets to other brands as well, remember seeing quite a few solutions featuring Creative chips. Hardware sound needs to make a comeback for good.

 

[claes]

Why though when you can get a USB DAC or just use HDMI?

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Its a strong independent sound bar that dont need no subwoofer.

 

[Prima.Vera]

I'm sure it has nothing to do with their lack of support and buggy drivers on newer operating systems, reduced quality and overpriced hardware.

Creative did to 3D sound what Nvidia did with Physx - make it monopoly and proprietary thing. And the world said frack you. I'm not sorry for them.

I think you are confused. Microsoft already had Direct Sound 3D as a standard API for Windows. There was also the open source OpenAL that was pretty much simmilar.
And besides there were other Sound Cards with 3D Sound capabilities.

Interesting read here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/40qhph

 

[Beertintedgoggles]

Holy crap..... $450 !!!! The Klipsch Cinema series soundbars are cheaper and include an actual wireless subwoofer. That RGB tax is quite high.

 

[shaolin95]

"dual up-firing 3" mid-bass drivers that deliver full-sounding bass"

LOL
Were the drivers created at Hogwarts? Cause only powerful magic can make a 3" driver do full sounding bass.
Whoever wrote that... wow.

 

[skates]

I'm interested specifically for the up-firing speakers, which typically are present in expensive sound bars. Up-firing speakers are great when supporting DTS, Atmos.

 

[HairyLobsters]

They had and still have some of the best, however way overpriced, sound cards.
The big hit from them was when the retarded idiots from Microsoft decided to pull the plug for 3D Sound in Windows, basically killing one of the best things that ever happened in game industry.

Might want to refrain from using to word "retarded" as a negative connotation.

 

[Drash]

"dual up-firing 3" mid-bass drivers that deliver full-sounding bass"

LOL
Were the drivers created at Hogwarts? Cause only powerful magic can make a 3" driver do full sounding bass.
Whoever wrote that... wow.

How big are the drivers in your IEMs that can do "real" bass? Physics is awesome (unlike Creative!)

 

[kawice]

I think you are confused. Microsoft already had Direct Sound 3D as a standard API for Windows. There was also the open source OpenAL that was pretty much simmilar.
And besides there were other Sound Cards with 3D Sound capabilities.

Interesting read here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/40qhph

Mmmhhmm... Maybe you should get your knowledge from something else than reddit rants.
I'm not here to educate you kid.

 

[Drash]

They had and still have some of the best, however way overpriced, sound cards.
The big hit from them was when the retarded idiots from Microsoft decided to pull the plug for 3D Sound in Windows, basically killing one of the best things that ever happened in game industry.

I remember the story as MS pulled 3D sound as whatever Creative was selling was the cause of "most" of the W(7? maybe 8) crashes. I'm still rocking an Audigy 2ZS and 7.1 speakers (also Creative). Positional audio was so much better than this current home theatre crap. But...

Mmmhhmm... Maybe you should get your knowledge from something else than reddit rants.
I'm not here to educate you kid.

A 10s scan of that tells me there was some truth there. 3D audio was a thing and better than now, esp. in games. Creative blew it and MS wiped it to replace with surround sound. We lost something that could have been awesome, but maybe needed more work.

 

[WorringlyIndifferent]

3" drivers and it "doesn't need a sub"? Lol. Stupid nonsense in audio advertising is practically a tradition at this point.

Pro tip: yes, it does need a sub, unless you like all of your media to sound like it's coming through laptop speakers.

 

[Jism]

i'd say with 4 drivers, you can use two for mid to high and the 2 others for lower frequency's, using the whole of the soundbar as a enclosure.

But it won't and will never tip a true "5.1" or "7.1" proper setup.

 

[Prima.Vera]

Mmmhhmm... Maybe you should get your knowledge from something else than reddit rants.
I'm not here to educate you kid.

Kid?? First you need to educate yourself, before being a silly smartass on forums.
That's the hardest, I know...

 

[Fourstaff]

Hmm, 3 inches is not going to cut it.

 

[efikkan]

They used to make sound cards that competed with external and professional AICs, but no longer. They used to make powered speakers that were some of the best on the market, but no longer. They used to make hi-fi products, now they make soundbars, which are great if that’s what you want/need, but a shadow of their former glory.

But mostly I was thinking of the “who needs a subwoofer when you’ve got 3-inch woofers that deliver ‘full-sounding’ bass” press release when I posted

I remember the days when they rebranded(?) Cambridge SoundWorks speakers, those were some pretty affordable and acceptable "PC speakers" compared to the rest from Creative and comparable brands.

But as for "lack of" sub-woofers, I honestly think that's the least of the problems with this product. Any soundbar offers lousy audio quality compared to half-decent stereo speakers, even in the treble, and the stereo-effect is really suffering. I've always considered sub-woofers a disadvantage when it comes to sound quality. Obviously for music it's really bad, but also gaming, as the stereo-effect for the base and mid is gone.

I think most buyers for PC audio and even entry living room audio are completely unaware of the best options for affordable decent audio, and would be much better off buying any decent external DAC(~$100) and some entry studio monitors (like Yamaha HS-series or many others in the same price range), as they would outperform any cheap consumer audio (gimmicky) products, and offer very good audio quality. The only thing outperforming these would be a proper HiFi system, which is a completely different price range.