I looked long and hard at the Katana and really wanted to like it but every time I played one I just didn't get it. Now, I play at home for me so maybe that makes a difference but I thought the Spider was more capable of sounding like I wanted it to. And I love it. And I haven't upgraded to the new version yet. A lot of people love those Katanas and maybe they make more sense as a live amp. They always sounded thin or at least missing that thick bass presence but that may be a good thing for playing live and sitting in a mix. For home use the Spider is far better to me.