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Add to SafariWhen comparing Yamaha YAS-203 vs Creative SoundBlasterX Katana, the Slant community recommends Creative SoundBlasterX Katana for most people. In the question“What are the best soundbars?” Creative SoundBlasterX Katana is ranked 6th while Yamaha YAS-203 is ranked 13th. The most important reason people chose Creative SoundBlasterX Katana is:
While the device seems small, it can actually get really loud, without distortion. It uses good quality speakers and external components to maintain this quality. The soundstage is quite good and the subwoofer provides a deep rumble.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Good audio quality
Clear high-end and impactful low-end that's still capable of staying balanced. Dialogue is crisp and easy to pick out in movies and music offers a good dynamic range.
Pro Shape helps sound bounce around the room
It's curved outwards, to help bounce the sound around the room.
Pro Good bang for the buck
The YAS-203 delivers sound quality that is well above what's usual for its price range.
Pro Bluetooth support
You can connect to this soundbar via Bluetooth, for media streaming.
Pro Includes an IR repeater
This soundbar comes with an IR repeater.
Pro Capable of overwhelming sound levels
While the device seems small, it can actually get really loud, without distortion. It uses good quality speakers and external components to maintain this quality. The soundstage is quite good and the subwoofer provides a deep rumble.
Pro Wide variety of PC-oriented ports
As a PC-oriented soundbar, the Katana has an optical input, a USB input for external storage, a micro USB port, and a microphone and headphone port.
Pro PC soundcard bypass
To take full advantage of this soundbar's capabilities, when it is connected to a PC via USB, it bypasses the computer's onboard soundcard.
Pro Has a programmable RGB lighting system
This soundbar has a programmable lighting system called Aurora Reactive, which features 16.8 million colors.
Pro Handy companion software
If the soundbar is connected with a USB cable, you can use the downloadable SoundBlaster Connect software to tweak with some sound enhancing settings. You can choose from different presets or manually control the equalizer. The soundbar's RGB lighting is fully controllable via the app, letting you choose between various effects and more than 16 million colors.
Cons
Con No Wi-Fi support
It's not possible to connect to this soundbar via Wi-Fi.
Con No HDMI support
The YAS-203 lacks HDMI ports.
Con Soundstage tapers off with distance
Since it’s designed to be used up close, the Katana's soundstage tapers off as you sit farther.
Con Software is Windows-only
The Katana's companion software only works with Windows operative systems.
Con Subwoofer cable is too short
The subwoofer's cable is only 2 meters long, which can be too short for some setups.
Con No HDMI support
The Katana doesn't support HDMI.
Con Subwoofer isn't capable of handling low frequencies well
Due to its small size, this soundbar's subwoofer doesn’t handle the lowest frequencies very well.
