Wireless Sony Headphones LDAC Explained

By now you’ve probably heard the word codec thrown around while perusing various Bluetooth headphones and other wireless devices. Codecs determine the type of connection and degree of audio quality that’s delivered to your ears from the source. There are different codecs designed for use with different types of devices (i.e. iOS, Android). Sony developed their own special codec for use with their headphones and Walkman players that is said to transmit data 3x faster than industry wide codecs. So, we thought we’d break it down for y’all. This is Sony Headphones LDAC Explained.

Wireless Sony Headphones LDAC Explained

LDAC is Sony’s audio coding technology. It’s able to read and transmit some of the largest files (of the highest quality) at a remarkably fast rate – approximately 3x faster than other codecs. “Unlike other Bluetooth-compatible coding technologies such as SBC, it operates without down-converting the Hi-Res Audio content (except for content in DSD format),” explains Sony. “It allows approximately three times more data than other technologies to be transmitted over a Bluetooth wireless network with unprecedented sound quality, by means of efficient coding, and optimized packetization,” adds the Japanese company.

How effective is LDAC?

This codec will be vital as more and more streaming services begin to implement higher quality files – take Tidal, for instance, who is incorporating MQA (Master Quality Audio) or Spotify which allows customer’s to choose whether they’d like to stream normal (96 Kb/s), high (160 kb/s), or extreme (320 kb/s) audio quality within their settings. For comparison, AptX is at 16 bit/48 kHz at 352 kb/s. There’s also aptX HD, which processes at 24 bit/48 kHz, but at 576 kb/s. LDAC is at a whopping 990 kb/s so it will allow users to easily transmit these high quality files smoothly and without lag.

When is LDAC most beneficial?

I’d say LDAC is beneficial right now. As of yet, few wireless devices support Bluetooth 5 which is the most sophisticated form of Bluetooth at the moment. I know of version 5 in max 3 devices. Maybe there are a couple more on the market, but I strongly doubt it. Bluetooth 5 drastically improves the reach, capacity, speed, and amount of energy consumed while using the wireless form of communication. This would improve transmission for any devices that implement the latest iteration, but until then codecs to the rescue.

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