Creative Sound Blaster Katana SE vs Sonos Ray

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Sound Blaster Katana SE compared with Ray

	CreativeSound Blaster Katana SE	SonosRay
Overview
Released
Released	May 2023	June 2022
Sound
Type
Type	Soundbar	Soundbar
Channels
Channels	5.1 virtual	Stereo
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	No	No
Drivers
Drivers	Four active drivers: midrange and tweeter pairs, each independently powered in a one-piece enclosure; no separate subwoofer.	Two tweeters and two midwoofers, with a bass reflex port
Amplifiers
Amplifiers	Bi-amplified four-driver design controlled by a multicore DSP; maker rates total system power up to 90 W RMS and 180 W peak.	Four class-D digital amplifiers
Frequency response
Frequency response	55–20,000 Hz (maker specification; tolerance not stated).	–
Audio formats
Audio formats	Dolby Digital decoding over HDMI ARC or optical; 5.1 USB input on supported Windows, Mac and PlayStation platforms, with virtual surround from the single soundbar. USB high-resolution audio is supported up to 24-bit/96 kHz on supported sources.	Stereo PCM, Dolby Digital, DTS Digital Surround
Room tuning
Room tuning	Creative Acoustic Engine, EQ and Scout Mode; SXFI Battle and personalised Super X-Fi processing for headphones. Personalisation uses the SXFI app.	Trueplay (iOS device required); bass, treble and loudness adjustable; Speech Enhancement; Night Sound
Connections
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	No	Yes
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Yes	No
AirPlay
AirPlay	No	Yes
HDMI eARC
HDMI eARC	No	No
Voice assistants
Voice assistants	None	None
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	–	802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0, SBC codec, A2DP and AVRCP; maker quotes up to 10 m open-space range.	–
Ports
Ports	HDMI ARC, USB-C audio, optical input, 3.5 mm AUX input, headphone/headset output, SXFI-out and DC power; no HDMI video passthrough.	Optical audio input; 10/100 Ethernet; IR receiver
Streaming
Streaming	Bluetooth audio from compatible devices; no Wi-Fi or AirPlay receiver.	Apple AirPlay 2; Spotify Connect; Sonos Radio
Multi-room
Multi-room	–	Groups with other Sonos products over Wi-Fi; add a Sonos Sub and rear speakers; TV Audio Swap to Sonos Ace headphones
App
App	Creative app for EQ, processing, mixer, controls and RGB lighting; SXFI app creates the headphone personalisation profile.	Sonos app (iOS and Android); works with the TV remote
Design
Weight
Weight	2.67 kg	1.9 kg (better)
Controls
Controls	Soundbar controls, front display and supplied IR remote, with RGB lighting and selectable audio modes.	Capacitive touch controls (play, pause, skip, replay, volume)
Microphones
Microphones	Dual front beamforming microphones for calls; no built-in voice assistant.	None
Mounting
Mounting	Tabletop placement or wall mounting beneath a television.	M5 threaded socket; Ray Wall Mount sold separately
Size
Size	Maker lists 650 × 109 × 78 mm; soundbar weight 2.67 kg.	70 × 557 × 93 mm (H × W × D)
Colours
Colours	Black	Black, White
In the box
In the box	Soundbar, IR remote, power adapter and regional plugs, USB-C to USB-A cable, optical cable, wall-mount hardware and printed documentation.	Ray, power cable (2 m), optical audio cable (1.5 m), documentation