Gear compared
Boss Katana vs Positive Grid Spark 2
Updated 6 min read7 sources
Both are rated at 50 watts, and that is where the likeness ends. The Katana-50 Gen 3 puts its 50 watts into one 12-inch speaker at 11.6 kg, with six amp types on a knob and every control on the panel. The Spark 2 puts 50 watts into two 4-inch speakers at 5.5 kg, with 33 amp models picked in the Spark app, eight presets, a tuner, a looper, Bluetooth and an optional battery.
Choose the Katana for the bigger speaker and a panel you set without a phone. Choose the Spark 2 for many amp models and practice tools on the amp, at half the weight. Every figure on this page comes from BOSS's and Positive Grid's own manuals and specifications.
Side by side
The Katana column is the Katana-50 Gen 3, from BOSS's Gen 3 reference manual. The Spark 2 column is from Positive Grid's user manual and its technical specification for the Spark 2. Where a manual does not list a feature, the cell says so rather than guessing.
| Boss Katana-50 Gen 3 | Positive Grid Spark 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 50 W, with Power Control at Standby, 0.5 W, Half and Max | 50 W RMS, Class D |
| Speaker | One 12-inch | Two 4-inch full range speakers with a custom angled horn |
| Amp sounds | 6 amp types, each with a Variation | 33 amp models, for electric guitar, acoustic guitar and bass |
| Choosing the amp | AMP TYPE knob on the panel | In the Spark app; no Amp Type knob |
| EQ on the panel | Bass, Middle and Treble knobs | Bass, Mid and Treble knobs |
| Effects at once | 5: Booster, Mod, FX, Delay and Reverb | Up to 6: three before the amp and three after, from 43 |
| Stored sounds | 4: CH1 and CH2 in banks A and B | 8 presets, in red and green banks of four |
| Tuner | Not listed in the manual | Built-in chromatic tuner, on TAP/TUNER |
| Looper | Not listed in the manual | Up to 60 seconds |
| Headphones | Stereo 1/4-inch | 1/8-inch |
| Line out | None on the 50; the 50 EX has one | Two 1/4-inch, L/Mono and R |
| USB | USB Type-C, for recording and the BOSS TONE STUDIO app | USB-C audio interface, 1 in and 2 out at 24 bit, 44.1 kHz |
| Bluetooth | With the BT-DUAL adaptor, sold separately | Bluetooth 5.0 built in |
| Power source | AC IN jack and the included power cord | 20 V adapter, or the Spark Battery, sold separately, for up to 12 hours |
| Weight | 11.6 kg | 5.5 kg |
| Size | 470 wide, 398 high, 238 deep, in mm | 375 long, 180 wide, 214 high, in mm |
Amp sounds: six types against 33 models
The Katana has six amp types on one knob: Acoustic, Clean, Pushed, Crunch, Lead and Brown. BOSS says all of them are original rather than copies of named amps. Clean is clean and natural, Pushed responds to picking with a big, penetrating sound, Crunch is a fat crunch, Lead covers crunch to high gain depending on the Gain setting, and Brown is a lead sound with an edge from the BOSS Waza brown sound. The Variation button switches each type to a second version.
The Spark 2's specification lists 33 amp models for electric guitar, acoustic guitar and bass. Positive Grid's Amp & Effect List puts the 25 guitar amps in five groups, Clean, Glassy, Crunch, High Gain and Metal, and names the amp behind each: Black Duo is inspired by a Fender Twin Reverb, Silver 120 by a Roland JC120, Plexiglas by a Marshall Super Lead 100 and Insane by an EVH 5150 III. If you want to call up a particular classic amp by name, that is the Spark 2's advantage. If you want a few voices that cover clean to high gain on one knob, that is the Katana's.
Knobs against an app
Every Katana control is on the top panel: the AMP TYPE knob, Gain, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble and Master, then a knob and a button for each of the five effect sections. Each button switches its section between three effects on its green, red and orange colours. No phone is needed to change the sound; BOSS TONE STUDIO for KATANA Gen3 over USB, or a phone app with the BT-DUAL adaptor, goes deeper into each effect's settings.
The Spark 2 has Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble and Master knobs, which set the amp model in the current preset, and Mod, Delay and Reverb knobs, which set how much of each effect you hear. It has no Amp Type knob. The amp model and the effects in each preset are picked in the Spark app and saved to the amp with Save to Hardware, and the PRESET knob switches between the eight presets stored there. Without a phone you play those eight and shape them with the knobs.
Practice tools on the amp
The Spark 2 builds in what a practice amp is usually missing. Hold TAP/TUNER for a chromatic tuner, which mutes the amp while the three looper LEDs show whether the string is too low, too high or in tune. The looper records up to 60 seconds from buttons on the amp. Bluetooth plays music from a phone, and the Spark Battery, sold separately, gives up to 12 hours at mid volume.
BOSS's Gen 3 reference manual lists none of these on the Katana-50: no tuner or looper among its controls, Bluetooth only with the BT-DUAL adaptor, sold separately, and an AC IN jack for power. What the Katana has instead is the Power Control switch, which cuts the power amp to Half or 0.5 W for playing quietly, and Standby, which mutes it between sets without touching a setting.
Recording and outputs
Both record to a computer over USB-C. BOSS's manual says to install its USB driver before connecting the Katana. The Spark 2 shows up as Spark 2 USB Audio, one input and two outputs at 24 bit and 44.1 kHz, and Windows needs the driver from Positive Grid.
For a PA or an audio interface, the Spark 2 has two 1/4-inch line outputs, L/Mono and R. The Katana-50 has no line out; the 50 EX adds one. For headphones, the Katana takes a full-size stereo plug and mutes its speaker, and the Spark 2 takes a 1/8-inch plug.
The same starting points on both
These are Tonelify's starting settings from each amp's gear page, not BOSS's or Positive Grid's numbers, on a 0 to 10 scale. On the Katana you turn the amp type knob. On the Spark 2 you pick the model in the app and save it to a preset, then set the same knobs.
| Sound | Katana-50 Gen 3 | Spark 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Clean | Clean type, Gain 2 to 3, Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 6 | Black Duo, Gain 2 to 3, Bass 5, Mid 5, Treble 6 |
| Blues | Pushed type, Gain 3 to 4, Bass 5, Middle 6 to 7, Treble 5 to 6 | Lux Verb or Blues Boy, Gain 3 to 4, Bass 5, Mid 6 to 7, Treble 5 to 6 |
| Classic rock | Crunch type, Gain 5 to 6, Bass 5, Middle 6 to 7, Treble 6 | Plexiglas or JM45, Gain 5 to 6, Bass 5, Mid 6 to 7, Treble 6 |
| Metal | Lead or Brown type, Gain 6 to 7, Bass 5 to 6, Middle 5, Treble 6 to 7 | Insane or Treadplate, Gain 6 to 7, Bass 4 to 5, Mid 5, Treble 6 to 7 |
Settings for a song, on either amp
A style setting gets you close. A particular record needs its own numbers, and they land differently on a Katana type than on a Spark model. Tonelify gives song settings for the controls each of these amps actually has, so the answer for one is never a copy of the other.
Common questions
Is the Boss Katana 50 louder than the Spark 2?
Both are rated at 50 watts. BOSS puts the Katana-50 Gen 3's into one 12-inch speaker, and Positive Grid puts the Spark 2's into two 4-inch speakers, with a maximum of 114 dB SPL RMS at 1 metre. BOSS's manual gives no sound pressure figure, so the makers' numbers do not settle it; the bigger speaker is the Katana's.
Which has more amp models, the Katana or the Spark 2?
The Spark 2: 33 amp models for electric guitar, acoustic guitar and bass, most of them named after the amp that inspired them, such as the Fender Twin Reverb, Marshall Super Lead 100 and EVH 5150 III. The Katana-50 Gen 3 has six amp types, Acoustic, Clean, Pushed, Crunch, Lead and Brown, which BOSS says are all original, and a Variation button that gives each a second version.
Can you change the amp model on the Spark 2 without the app?
Not the model itself. The Spark 2 has no Amp Type knob: its PRESET knob switches between the eight presets stored on the amp, each holding one amp model, and Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble and Master adjust that model. A different model is picked in the Spark app and saved to a preset with Save to Hardware. On the Katana, the AMP TYPE knob changes it directly.
Does the Katana 50 have a tuner or a looper like the Spark 2?
BOSS's Gen 3 reference manual lists neither among the Katana-50's controls. The Spark 2 has a chromatic tuner, reached by holding TAP/TUNER, and a looper that records up to 60 seconds from buttons on the amp.
Which is lighter, the Katana 50 or the Spark 2?
The Spark 2, at 5.5 kg against the Katana-50 Gen 3's 11.6 kg. The Spark 2 can also run on the Spark Battery, sold separately, for up to 12 hours at mid volume. BOSS's manual gives the Katana-50 an AC IN jack and a power cord.
Sources
Gear in this guide
Settings for your own amp
This guide covers what is true of every rig. For a specific song on a specific amp, Tonelify reads the documented chain behind the recording and returns gain, bass, middle, treble and presence values for the controls your amp actually has. A first plan starts with 7 days free, $0 today.
