Gen 5 upgrade 2026

Upgrading
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Finally! Assuming this includes the latest software stack. Check your junk mail if you a subscriber and don’t see it, that is where mine was.

Two new Kala models are planned for release in the third quarter of 2026, alongside Gen 5 upgrades for many existing Antipodes products.

2026 Announcements

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Over the past decade, Antipodes Audio has focused on the digital audio source, recognising that what happens here shapes everything that follows.

Today, we are sharing a defining progression in that work.

We have completed the Oladra Platform — the culmination of a long-standing body of work — and introduced Oladra as a distinct brand dedicated to digital audio sources built on this new foundation.

The Oladra Platform represents a shift in how digital audio systems are conceived. Hardware, firmware, and software are unified as a single architecture, built around a purpose-designed audio computer developed specifically for music.

This brings system behaviour under control at the point where the signal is formed, preserving timing relationships that underpin musical coherence.

The scale of this architectural step meant it could no longer sit within an evolving product line and required it to stand on its own terms. It is first realised in two models: Sentia and Presence, each sharing the same foundation and differing in degree of refinement.

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Antipodes Audio remains the originating company and continues to develop the Kala range. Two new Kala models are planned for release in the third quarter of 2026, alongside Gen 5 upgrades for many existing Antipodes products.

Supporting this transition, we have introduced a revised Antipodes website, a new Oladra website, and Circle — an expanded support environment that brings together guidance, updates, and shared knowledge for those living with our systems.

We invite you to explore further:

Oladra

https://oladra.com

Antipodes

https://antipodes.audio

Circle

https://camerata.audio

Thank you for being part of this work.

Antipodes Audio

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It will be interesting to see what the G5 upgrade will bring to the current Oladra body and how far that will take it towards the newly announced Presence especially because the Presence does not initially have a BNC output offering (my favoured output on the current Oladra).

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And I use AES in my K50, so when I saw this picture I was a little shocked:

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but I just scrolled upon this:

Standard and Specialised Digital Outputs

Oladra offers a standard audio output option for most users, and additional dealer-swappable options for systems with more specific needs.

The standard output is USB only. For the majority of users, this is the best solution: it is supported by nearly every DAC, accommodates the broadest range of formats and sample rates, minimises live ports, power rails, and interfaces, and provides the most universally capable connection between source and DAC. The USB option is available now.

Oladra will offer other dealer-swappable output configurations such as USB + AES3 and USB + S/PDIF, with S/PDIF available on RCA, BNC, or TOSLINK as required. These are provided as alternatives, not additions: only one output may be used at a time, because in digital audio architecture, less is often more.

The same applies to making connections. Where a unit is fitted with, for example, USB + AES3, only the connection in use should be fitted between DAS and DAC. Leaving a second cable connected creates an unnecessary additional path between source and DAC, introducing extra grounding and interface interactions that do nothing to serve the signal.

Some users will want an output shaped around a particular DAC. These may include options such as Dual-AES, I2S with clock-slaving, or other DAC-specific interfaces, as outlined on the Connections page. Oladra will progressively release these specialised output options over time.

So the approach is simple: USB for most users, and carefully chosen alternatives where a particular DAC or system calls for something more specific.

Streaming to a DAC over Ethernet

Some DACs accept audio over Ethernet, and some users wish to use this approach.
Antipodes DAS have facilitated this in the past giving the server two Ethernet ports: one for the network, and one for the DAC, with the DAC effectively reaching the network through the server.

The Oladra Platform approaches this differently. Instead of the server performing that switching role, the Oladra platform is designed to use a dedicated three-port switch, with the Oladra and the DAC each connected to the switch, and the third port connected to the network.

The reasoning is simple: if Ethernet distribution is required, it is better handled by a high-quality low-noise switch than by the server itself. That keeps the roles clearer, and the solution more purposeful. The switch serves the additional purpose of improving audio performance with streaming services.

Oladra will release an ideal switch for this use. Until then, the same principle applies with a well-designed audiophile switch.

https://camerata.app/outputs

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Hopefully with G5 update the current OLADRA can be fitted with the I2S with clock slaving which can be matched with MSB.

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Do I have to send my K50 to New Zealand for G5 updates? What is the price for the update?

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I like this approach. Thanks for posting that.

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Yes, upgrades will occur in New Zealand for G5 Upgrade.

No pricing or confirmed date at this time.

If you have registered your device in Circle, which everyone should do, there is a button named “Upgrades” if you click on it, this will give you all the current information relavant to your device, when available.

Right now you see below:

Current Status

There are no upgrades currently available. Return here for news, or opt-in to receiving emailed upgrade offers in your user profile.

New Antipodes models will be announced in April 2026, using Gen5 technology.

Gen5 upgrades will be available for existing Antipodes models and for most models going back to 2018. In some cases there will be two levels of upgrade offered. The upgrades will also include installation of the new Oladra Node system, enabling you to use Oladra Play, which is available at play stores for Windows, Apple and Android.

The Antipodes models that we hope to upgrade to Gen5 are:

  • Oladra
  • Kala 50
  • Kala 41
  • Kala 30
  • Kala 22
  • Kala 21
  • DX3
  • CX
  • EX

When the upgrade program is released, selecting your device in the Circle will provide you with the details of the upgrade(s) available for your device.

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I’m a bit surprised how ‘’low key’’ Antipodes is about this, because this is a big move. New Kala designs, Oladra moving further upmarket, and now a more unified app environment. This is clearly more than a normal update.

Reading their new site, what stands out to me is the focus on timing and behaviour at the source. Not features, not outputs, but what happens at the moment the signal is created.

That matches my own experience. You can have a system that sounds clean and detailed, but still not engaging. And when it does work, it’s not always obvious why, but you feel it immediately.

Most of the discussion here goes straight to outputs and features, but that feels secondary. This is about how the signal is created in the first place. That is a deeper layer.

That’s why splitting Oladra into its own platform makes sense to me. It’s not just another server, it’s about creating a controlled environment where timing stays intact from the beginning.

Kala also benefits from the all-new Oladra software stack, bringing major advances in usability, integration, and overall system performance

What I find reassuring is that Kala continues, and that G4 is not a dead end. The upgrade path to G5 shows this is a platform, not a disposable product cycle.

Also, the move to a more unified app and system environment is important. In practice, keeping track of system state and updates has not always been straightforward, so this is a real improvement.

From where I stand, this is Antipodes doubling down on what actually matters. Not chasing features, but getting the fundamentals right.

Not a reset. A clear step forward.

Curious to see where this goes. Congrats Antipodes.

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Can anyone tell me is the Oladra Play app currently operational and is it currently meant to work ? I have downloaded it but it only reports “Cannot find your Oladra”.

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Mark i have try on circle to register my oladra, i put the last four digit, but the answer is : We couldn’t confirm this device. Please contact us.

Whats is wrong ?
Oladra have s or p after the four digits, i have put the last four numbers.

Nick

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Yeah a little confusing. A letter is not a digit, so if your serial is XXXX4387p, the last four digits are 4387, that is what gets entered here. Mine registered okay once I did that.

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I guess this is why it was taking so long to get a “simple software stack” update.

They have been busy, haven’t they. :wink:

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No, for me no.
I have try with the numbers but not work.
I have already register my device on oladra web site about one year ago.
I hope Mark answer me asap.

Nick

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I have checked using the Fing app and everything is on the same subset ie 192.168.1.x and doing a ping to both the Oladra server and player reports no issues.

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Feels like we’re seeing the transition in real time here.

The direction makes sense to me, moving more toward a unified, software-driven platform, but it also means the basics have to work every time. When discovery doesn’t behave, it stands out quickly, especially in setups that aren’t exactly typical.

Having lived with Antipodes for a while, I can imagine how hard this is to fully test before release. Real-world networks always find the edge cases.

So I don’t think it’s the direction that’s the issue, more that the software side is still catching up a bit. Curious to see how quickly they stabilise this.

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I can advise :slight_smile:

OLADRA PLAY requires OLADRA Node and is the NEW software platform currently only available on the new Presence and Sentia models, it does not work on AMS.

We will be releasing OLADRA PLAY along with the GEN 5 Upgrades in approx the 3rd quarter of this year.

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Can you confirm that Gen 4 will support the NEW software platform when it gets released?

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Thanks for clarification. A note to that effect on the app will probably save you guys many hours of responding to queries similar to mine.

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20

I’ve been trying to buy a Kala 41 (gen 4) but they have been out of stock for a while. Any news on when the gen 5 Kala 41 will be available?

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There is no direct replacement in the upcoming range of the K41.

The KALA 50 will have Direct Stream.

All existing KALA K41 will have a G5 upgrade available in the 3rd quarter

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