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LDAC (codec)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LDAC
Developed bySony
Type of formatAudio codec

LDAC is a proprietary, lossy audio coding technology developed by Sony,[1] designed for streaming audio over Bluetooth connections at up to 990 kbps at 32 bits/96 kHz (high-resolution audio quality).[citation needed] It is used by various products, including headphones, earphones, smartphones, portable media players, active speakers, and home theaters.

The encoder of LDAC is open-source under Apache License 2.0, so that any device can be coded to transmit LDAC streams without patent or licensing issues. The decoder design remains proprietary.

Audio coding

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LDAC is an alternative to Bluetooth SIG's SBC codec. Its main competitors are Huawei's L2HC, Qualcomm's aptX-HD/aptX Adaptive and the HWA Union/Savitech's LHDC.[2]

LDAC is a streaming only ATRAC9 variant.[3] By default, LDAC audio bitrate settings are set to Best Effort, which switches between discrete bitrate steps (CBR) 330/660/990 kbps depending on connection strength;[4] however, audio bitrate and resolution can be manually adjusted on Linux (when using PipeWire[5]), some Android platforms (which generally requires access to the "Developer Settings" menu), and Sony's own smartphones and Walkman devices at the following rates; 330/660/990 kbps at 96/48 kHz and 303/606/909 kbps at 88.2/44.1 kHz with depth of 32, 24 or 16 bits.[4]

Starting from Android 8.0 "Oreo", LDAC is part of the Android Open Source Project, enabling every OEM to integrate this standard into their own Android devices freely.[6][7] The encoder library is open source and the implementation for Linux is already present in bluez-alsa,[8] pulseaudio-modules-bt,[9][10] and in PipeWire's bluez5 module.[11][12] It is available on Fedora since Fedora 29.[13] However the decoder library is proprietary, so receiving devices require licenses,[14] but the decoder Sony code became available in 2025.

On 17 September 2019, the Japan Audio Society (JAS) certified LDAC with their Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification.[15] As of June 2024, the codecs certified by the JAS to bear the Hi-Res Audio Wireless logo are LHDC, LDAC, SCL6, LC3plus, SHDC, and aptX Adaptive.[16]

Currently LDAC is still not supported by iOS, iPadOS, macOS[17] and Windows. In macOS and Windows, an additional Bluetooth audio transmitter that supports LDAC can be used, but a special driver from manufacturer is required for LDAC.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Sony Corporation - LDAC™ site for end-users | Experience Your Music in Hi-Res Audio. Bringing You A Hi-Res Audio & Wireless Music Experience with LDAC". www.sony.co.jp. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  2. ↑ "Best Wireless Headphones of 2018". 13 November 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  3. ↑ hegdi (10 June 2026), hegdi/libldacdec, retrieved 10 June 2026
  4. 1 2 Triggs, Robert (16 December 2018). "The ultimate guide to Bluetooth headphones: LDAC isn't Hi-res". SoundGuys. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  5. ↑ "Releases · PipeWire / pipewire". GitLab. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  6. ↑ Triggs, Robert (22 August 2017). "What you need to know about Sony's LDAC". Android Authority. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  7. ↑ "platform/external/libldac". android Git repositories - Git at Google. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  8. ↑ "LDAC support? · Issue #104 · Arkq/bluez-alsa". GitHub. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  9. ↑ H.H, Bao (20 March 2019), Adds Sony LDAC, aptX, aptX HD, AAC codecs (A2DP Audio) support to PulseAudio on Linux: EHfive/pulseaudio-modules-bt, retrieved 20 March 2019
  10. ↑ eischmann (11 February 2019). "Better Bluetooth sound quality on Linux". Brno hat. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  11. ↑ "List of commits on the PipeWire project pertaining to LDAC support". freedesktop.org Gitlab. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  12. ↑ "Achieve parity and/or surpass PulseAudio in Bluetooth audio support". 31 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  13. ↑ "1671064 – Review Request: libldac - LDAC library from AOSP". bugzilla.redhat.com. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  14. ↑ "Audio over Bluetooth: most detailed information about profiles, codecs, and devices". habr.com. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  15. ↑ Yeow, Goh Beng (17 September 2019). "Japan Audio Society certifies LHDC™ for "Hi-Res Audio Wireless" certification". Porta-Fi™. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  16. ↑ "Definition of Hi-Res Audio (Announced on June 12th 2014)". Japan Audio Society. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  17. ↑ Bowe, Tucker (29 May 2026). "A Japanese Audio Brand Just Solved Your iPhone's Biggest Hi-Fi Flaw". Gear Patrol. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Creative Worldwide Support > Knowledgebase Solutions". support.creative.com. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
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