Creative Sound Blaster Katana V2 vs Polk Audio React

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

Sound Blaster Katana V2 compared with React

	CreativeSound Blaster Katana V2	Polk AudioReact
Overview
Released
Released	September 2021	January 2021
Sound
Type
Type	Soundbar	Soundbar
Channels
Channels	2.1	2.0
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	No	No
Drivers
Drivers	Two 63 mm midrange drivers and two 19 mm fabric-dome tweeters in the soundbar; one 165 mm driver in the supplied subwoofer.	Two 96 × 69 mm midrange drivers, two 25 mm tweeters and two 110 × 100 mm passive radiators; optional React Sub and SR2 rear speakers sold separately
Amplifiers
Amplifiers	Proprietary multicore DSP controls a tri-amplified system. Maker rates total output up to 126 W RMS and 252 W peak, with 66 W RMS for the soundbar.	–
Frequency response
Frequency response	50–20,000 Hz (maker specification; tolerance not stated).	–
Audio formats
Audio formats	Dolby Digital decoding over HDMI ARC or optical. USB supports 5.1 input on Windows and high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/96 kHz; physical driver layout is 2.1 rather than five discrete satellite channels.	Linear PCM, Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround; 32, 44.1 and 48 kHz sampling. Physical stereo 2.0 bar; optional subwoofer and rear speakers expand to 4.1 discrete channels (AVForums), with a virtual centre presentation.
Room tuning
Room tuning	Creative Acoustic Engine and EQ controls; Scout Mode and headphone SXFI Battle Mode. Super X-Fi headphone personalisation uses a profile generated with the SXFI app.	Movie, Music, Sport and Night listening modes; bass and VoiceAdjust dialogue-level adjustment
Connections
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	No	Yes
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
AirPlay
AirPlay	No	No
HDMI eARC
HDMI eARC	No	No
Voice assistants
Voice assistants	None	Alexa
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	–	IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac networking on 2.4 and 5 GHz
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0 receiver with SBC codec, A2DP and AVRCP; quoted open-space range up to 10 m.	Bluetooth 4.2, SBC and AAC; A2DP 1.3 and AVRCP 1.6; approximate 10 m line-of-sight range under maker conditions
Ports
Ports	HDMI ARC, optical input, USB-C audio, 3.5 mm AUX input, headset/headphone output, SXFI-out, wired subwoofer output and DC power. HDMI is television return audio, not video passthrough.	One HDMI ARC connection and optical digital input; USB-A service port does not play music from USB drives. No analogue AUX input or separate HDMI video passthrough input.
Streaming
Streaming	Bluetooth music playback from compatible devices; no Wi-Fi or AirPlay receiver.	Spotify Connect, Bluetooth and music services through Alexa; no AirPlay 2 (TechRadar)
Multi-room
Multi-room	–	Alexa multiroom music with compatible Alexa-enabled speakers
App
App	Creative app for EQ, Acoustic Engine, mixer, RGB lighting and programmable remote profiles; SXFI app creates the personalised headphone profile. Maker lists Windows, macOS, iOS and Android support with platform requirements.	Amazon Alexa app for network setup and voice-service configuration
Design
Weight
Weight	1.52 kg (better)	2.9 kg
Controls
Controls	On-bar controls, front display and supplied programmable IR remote; source, volume, power, EQ, bass/treble, Bluetooth pairing and lighting settings.	Top microphone mute, volume and Alexa action buttons; IR remote, HDMI CEC and IR learning. Light bar and status LED with ambient-light brightness adjustment.
Microphones
Microphones	Two built-in beamforming microphones allow calls directly through the soundbar; no built-in voice assistant.	Four far-field microphones for Alexa with a physical microphone-mute button; current EU manual states the microphone cannot be used for calls.
Mounting
Mounting	Desk placement or supplied wall-mount brackets and hardware.	Rear wall-hook holes and supplied wall-mount template
Size
Size	Maker dimensions: soundbar 600 × 95 × 62 mm and 1.52 kg; subwoofer 150 × 367 × 367 mm and 6.4 kg. Top-level weight is soundbar only.	Soundbar 864 × 57 × 121 mm, W × H × D (maker manual dimension diagram); main weight is bar only. Maker information sheet's 1066.8 mm width conflicts with its 34.02 in width.
Colours
Colours	Black	Black with fabric grille
In the box
In the box	Soundbar, wired subwoofer, IR remote, wall-mount brackets and kit, power adapter and regional plugs, optical cable, USB-C to USB-A cable and printed guides.	Soundbar, IR remote, two AAA batteries, power cord, HDMI and optical cables, wall-mount template and quick-start guide; maker sheet additionally lists a separate soundbar power supply.