Ultima Prime Aura with Sony LDAC is coming: A big milestone for Nepal's audio industry

The Nepali wearables market has mostly been about affordable earbuds with decent sound, long battery life, and active noise cancellation. But now, things are about to get more interesting. Ultima Lifestyle has confirmed that its upcoming Ultima Prime Aura TWS will support Sony's LDAC codec, making it the first Nepali audio brand to officially license Sony's premium wireless audio technology. 

Getting Sony's LDAC certification wasn't easy

According to Amit Agarwal, Founder of Ultima Lifestyle, obtaining the LDAC license wasn't easy. The company says it had to invest around NPR 35 to 40 lakh for the licensing process, alongside annual renewal costs and additional licensing fees for every LDAC-certified product it sells.

Even more importantly, Sony doesn't simply hand out the LDAC logo. To qualify, manufacturers must use capable Bluetooth audio chipsets, typically from companies like Qualcomm or BES, instead of cheaper alternatives. Products also need to meet Sony's required wireless audio performance and tuning standards before receiving certification.

And yes, Ultima is now officially listed among Sony's LDAC partners alongside global brands like Sony, JBL, Edifier, UGREEN, TOZO, EarFun, boAt, and many others. That's quite an achievement for a Nepali brand.

So... what exactly is LDAC?

If you have been following wireless audio, you have probably heard names like SBC, AAC, aptX, or LHDC. These are all Bluetooth audio codecs responsible for compressing music before sending it wirelessly from your phone to your earbuds. Sony developed LDAC to transmit significantly more audio data than the standard SBC codec.

At its highest quality mode, LDAC can transmit audio at up to 990 kbps, roughly three times higher than standard Bluetooth audio. This allows compatible earbuds to preserve much more detail, especially when listening to high-quality music files.

Does LDAC mean "lossless"?

Not exactly. This is where many people get confused. LDAC is still a lossy Bluetooth codec. Bluetooth simply doesn't have enough bandwidth to send a completely uncompressed 24-bit/96kHz audio stream wirelessly.

Instead, LDAC uses a much higher bitrate and more advanced compression than traditional codecs, allowing it to retain considerably more detail while remaining wireless. That's why it has received the Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification from the Japan Audio Society.

• SBC: Basic Bluetooth quality
• AAC: Better quality, commonly used by Apple
• aptX: Higher-quality Bluetooth
• LDAC: One of the highest-quality Bluetooth codecs available on Android today

Will music actually sound better?

The answer is: it depends. You will notice the biggest improvement if:

• Your phone supports LDAC.
• Your earbuds support LDAC.
• You are listening to high-quality music files or high-resolution streaming services.
• The earbuds themselves have good drivers and proper tuning.

If you are streaming heavily compressed music, the difference becomes much smaller. So LDAC is not a magic switch that instantly transforms every song into studio-quality audio. It simply ensures the Bluetooth connection is no longer the biggest bottleneck.

Which streaming services actually support high-quality audio?

Most people in Nepal use Spotify or YouTube Music. And here's the sad reality: Spotify and YouTube Music do not currently offer Hi-Res audio streaming.

So if you are mainly listening through Spotify or YouTube Music, LDAC will not magically make everything sound like studio-quality audio. However, LDAC can still help because it reduces the amount of compression happening between your phone and earbuds. You may hear slightly cleaner vocals, better separation, and more detail, especially in a quiet room.

But to get the most out of LDAC, you will need better audio sources like FLAC files, Apple Music Lossless, TIDAL, Amazon Music Unlimited, or Qobuz. For true uncompromised lossless audio, wired headphones with a DAC still remain the best option.

Does my phone support LDAC?

If you own a relatively recent Android smartphone, chances are it already supports LDAC, especially if it runs Android 8 Oreo or newer.

To check:

• Pair your LDAC-compatible earbuds.
• Open Settings -> Bluetooth.
• Tap the connected earbuds.
• Look for HD Audio, LDAC, or Audio Codec.

Some phones also let you manually switch between SBC, AAC, aptX, and LDAC from Developer Options. Unfortunately, iPhones do not support LDAC and continue to rely primarily on AAC for Bluetooth audio.

Ultima Prime Aura Price

LDAC-certified earbuds have traditionally been found in the premium segment, with many models costing well above NPR 10,000. Ultima, however, says the Prime Aura will carry an MRP of around NPR 5,000 to 6,000, with launch offers expected to bring the effective price to under NPR 4,000. 

If that pricing holds true, it could become one of the most affordable LDAC-certified earbuds available in Nepal. Of course, certification alone doesn't guarantee excellent sound. Driver quality, tuning, microphones, ANC, latency, comfort, and battery life all matter just as much. I will reserve our final verdict until we get a review unit. 

Final Thoughts

Whether the Ultima Prime Aura ends up being a great pair of earbuds remains to be seen. But one thing is certain. Getting Sony's LDAC certification is not something brands achieve overnight. Between licensing costs, yearly renewals, hardware requirements, and audio certification standards, this is a serious investment.

For a Nepali brand to join Sony's official list of LDAC partners is a noteworthy milestone, not just for Ultima Lifestyle, but for Nepal's growing consumer electronics industry as a whole. Personally, I am excited to test this one, especially if Ultima really manages to bring LDAC and Hi-Res support under NPR 4,000.