Antipodes Audio Spins Out Oladra as Standalone Digital Brand

The new Oladra brand launches with two models, the Sentia and Presence. Both are built around a purpose-designed architecture that moves away from conventional computer-based audio systems. The products are available now and will make their public debut at AXPONA 2026 in Chicago.

At the centre of the announcement is the Oladra platform itself, developed over more than a decade of what the company describes as “listening-led” research into how digital systems influence musical perception. Rather than adapting general-purpose computing hardware, Antipodes has taken a ground-up approach, designing a dedicated audio computer, with hardware, firmware and software developed as a unified system.

That’s a familiar argument in high-end digital audio, but Antipodes is pushing it further than most. The company’s position is that behaviour at the source, including timing, electrical noise and system activity, becomes embedded in the signal before it ever reaches a DAC, and cannot be fully corrected downstream.

The Oladra platform is intended to address that by controlling system behaviour at the point where the signal is formed, rather than attempting to clean it up later. Whether that approach delivers meaningful gains will ultimately depend on system context, but it reflects a broader shift in thinking at the top end of digital playback.

The scale of that architectural departure appears to have driven the branding decision. According to founder Mark Jenkins, the work had reached a point where it could no longer sit comfortably within the existing product line:

Oladra reflects a point of clarity in the work. It allowed us to give proper form to an approach that had been guiding our decisions for some time.

Sentia is positioned as the first complete realisation of the platform, effectively a reference implementation of the architecture. Presence builds on the same foundation, with further refinement aimed at increasing what the company describes as “physicality” in playback.

Both models support streaming services and local libraries, and are controlled via Oladra’s own software platform, including the Oladra Play app across desktop and mobile environments. The launch of Oladra does not replace Antipodes’ existing lineup. The company will continue to develop its KALA range, with new models and a Gen 5 upgrade program planned for later in 2026, bringing elements of the Oladra software platform to existing products.

Pricing places the new range firmly at the top end of the market, with Sentia starting from £33,888 | US$35,000 and Presence from £57,888 | US$58,000.

For more information visit Antipodes Audio or Oladra