What Is LDAC and Is It Actually Worth the Extra Money?

New headphones box has an LDAC badge on it. Sales guy says it's Hi-Res audio over Bluetooth. Price is $30-50 higher than models without those letters. Worth paying extra?

I dug into this question, tested several pairs of headphones with and without LDAC, and can now explain how it actually works. Spoiler: it's more complicated than marketing promises.

Here I explain what LDAC is technically, what conditions it needs to work properly, and when you'll actually hear a difference. No fluff, no advertising speak.

LDAC is an audio codec developed by Sony in 2015 for transmitting high-quality sound over Bluetooth at bitrates up to 990 kbps, which is three times higher than standard SBC (328 kbps), while supporting resolution up to 24-bit/96kHz.

The codec operates at three bitrate modes (330, 660, and 990 kbps) with automatic switching depending on Bluetooth connection quality. LDAC has been integrated into Android since version 8.0 Oreo but is not supported by Apple devices. This article covers the technical side of how the codec works, conditions needed to unlock its potential, and real scenarios where the difference is audible. Information current for all markets as of January 2026.

How LDAC Actually Works

When you play music on your smartphone and send it to wireless headphones, the audio file gets compressed. The original track is too large to transmit over Bluetooth in real time. The codec takes that file, compresses it, sends it through the air, and your headphones decompress it back.

SBC, the standard Bluetooth codec, compresses aggressively. It cuts frequencies above 14-15 kHz, simplifies dynamics, and the result is sound that many describe as "flat" or "compressed." Fine for phone calls and podcasts. Not great for music.

LDAC takes a different approach. Instead of chopping off large chunks of sound, it tries to keep more of the original recording intact. At 990 kbps mode, LDAC transmits roughly three times more data than SBC. This means more subtle details survive the wireless journey.

The Three Bitrate Modes

LDAC doesn't stay at one quality level. It automatically switches between three settings based on connection stability. At 990 kbps you get the best quality but need a clean signal. At 660 kbps you get a balance of quality and stability. At 330 kbps you get maximum stability but quality drops close to SBC levels.

Here's the catch most reviews skip. Your phone and headphones negotiate which mode to use automatically. In a crowded Wi-Fi environment or with obstacles between devices, LDAC often drops to 660 or even 330 kbps. You think you're getting Hi-Res audio but you're actually getting mid-tier quality. I tested this in my apartment with a Wi-Fi router, microwave, and several Bluetooth devices nearby. LDAC stayed at 990 kbps maybe 60% of the time. The rest it bounced between 660 and 330.

What You Need for LDAC to Work

Both your source device and headphones must support LDAC. If your phone supports it but headphones don't, or the other way around, you won't get LDAC. Pretty straightforward so far.

The harder part is actually enabling it. On most Android phones LDAC isn't the default codec even when supported. You need to dive into Developer Options to force it. Settings, About Phone, tap Build Number seven times to unlock Developer Options, then find Bluetooth Audio Codec and select LDAC. Even then, many devices default to 660 kbps instead of 990.

Device Compatibility

Sony obviously supports LDAC across their entire lineup. WH-1000XM5, WF-1000XM5, everything in the Walkman range. Beyond Sony, you'll find LDAC in headphones from Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, Anker Soundcore, FiiO, and several others.

On the phone side, any Android 8.0 or newer device theoretically supports LDAC. But not all manufacturers enable it or optimize it well. Samsung, Google Pixel, Sony Xperia, and OnePlus phones generally handle LDAC without issues. Cheaper phones might have it technically available but with spotty performance.

iPhone users are completely out of luck. Apple doesn't support LDAC and likely never will. If you're on iOS, AAC is your best option and that's that.

Does LDAC Actually Sound Better?

This is the million dollar question. I spent two weeks A/B testing LDAC vs AAC vs SBC on three different pairs of headphones. Sony WH-1000XM5, Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2, and Soundcore Space One.

At 990 kbps with high-resolution source files (24-bit/96kHz FLAC from Qobuz), LDAC sounds noticeably better than SBC. More air around instruments, better separation, smoother highs. The difference is real and consistent.

Against AAC the gap narrows considerably. On well-mastered tracks I could tell which was which in blind tests maybe 7 out of 10 times. On compressed streaming music from Spotify the difference basically disappeared. This makes sense. Spotify's highest quality is 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis. You can't squeeze Hi-Res quality out of a non-Hi-Res source.

The Uncomfortable Truth

LDAC is still a lossy codec. Even at 990 kbps it discards roughly 30% of the original audio data. The marketing term "Hi-Res Wireless" is technically accurate but practically misleading. True Hi-Res audio requires bitrates around 1411 kbps for CD quality and much higher for 24-bit sources.

Does this mean LDAC is useless? Not at all. For the specific use case of streaming high-resolution files from Tidal, Qobuz, Apple Music Lossless (if you have an Android phone), or your own FLAC collection, LDAC provides a meaningful improvement over standard codecs. But for 90% of people listening to Spotify on their commute, the difference ranges from subtle to nonexistent.

LDAC vs aptX HD vs AAC

LDAC isn't the only advanced Bluetooth codec. Qualcomm's aptX HD offers 576 kbps with 24-bit/48kHz support. AAC, favored by Apple, runs at 256 kbps but uses extremely efficient compression.

In my testing aptX HD splits the difference between SBC and LDAC. Better than standard Bluetooth, not quite as detailed as LDAC at full speed. But aptX HD maintains more consistent quality because it doesn't dynamically shift bitrates like LDAC does.

AAC surprised me. On iPhones and iPads, where Apple optimizes both the encoder and decoder, AAC sounds remarkably clean for its bitrate. Many casual listeners prefer AAC's consistent performance over LDAC's variable quality.

The practical takeaway: if you have an iPhone, AAC is your only real option and it's actually quite good. If you have a flagship Android phone and headphones that support LDAC, and you listen to high-resolution music, LDAC offers genuine benefits. For everyone else, the codec you're using probably matters less than the quality of your headphones themselves.

When LDAC Makes Sense

Buy headphones with LDAC if you meet all these criteria. You have an Android phone that properly supports LDAC. You subscribe to a Hi-Res streaming service like Tidal or Qobuz, or have your own high-resolution music files. You listen in quiet environments where you can actually hear subtle details. You're willing to check Developer Options to ensure LDAC is enabled at maximum quality.

Skip LDAC if any of these apply. You use an iPhone. You mainly listen to Spotify or YouTube. You listen on noisy commutes where ambient sound masks audio nuances. You don't want to mess with system settings.

The $30-50 premium for LDAC headphones often also buys you better build quality and drivers overall. So even if you never use LDAC, the headphones might still be worth it for other reasons. Just don't pay extra specifically for a feature you won't benefit from.