-
-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 45
FAQ
QBZ is a free, open-source, native Linux desktop client for Qobuz. It provides bit-perfect audio playback through direct integration with ALSA and PipeWire, bypassing the limitations of browser-based players.
No. QBZ uses the Qobuz API but is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or certified by Qobuz. Qobuz is a trademark of Xandrie SA.
Yes. QBZ is open source and released under the MIT license. You need a Qobuz subscription to stream music, but the app itself is free.
No. Since 2.0, QBZ is a single native Rust process with a Slint UI — there is no webview, no browser engine, and no npm. (Versions before 2.0 used Tauri; that's gone.)
QBZ is Linux-first — the whole audio design is built around the Linux stack (ALSA, PipeWire, PulseAudio, JACK). It also runs on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), but that build is experimental and misses the Linux-only audio and casting features. There is no Windows build yet.
Qobuz offers two subscription plans, Studio and Sublime, and both stream at full Hi-Res, so either one gets you everything QBZ can do.
| Plan | Max Quality |
|---|---|
| Studio | Hi-Res 24-bit / 192 kHz |
| Sublime | Hi-Res 24-bit / 192 kHz (plus Hi-Res purchase discounts) |
Browsers route audio through the WebAudio API and the system mixer, which resamples everything to a fixed rate (usually 48 kHz). There's no way for a browser to:
- Send audio directly to a DAC
- Switch sample rates per track
- Take exclusive control of an audio device
- Bypass the system mixer
QBZ solves all of these by using native audio backends.
DAC Passthrough means QBZ sends the audio stream directly to your DAC at the track's native sample rate, without any conversion. A 192 kHz track is sent as 192 kHz data — your DAC receives exactly what Qobuz encoded.
In Exclusive Mode, QBZ takes sole control of your audio device. No other application can play sound through it. This prevents the system mixer from touching your audio stream and ensures bit-perfect playback.
This means audio is being resampled by the system mixer. Fix:
- Switch to ALSA Direct backend, or
- Enable Force Bit-Perfect in PipeWire settings
See Audio Configuration for details.
Yes, but Bluetooth codecs (SBC, AAC, LDAC, aptX) always transcode audio. You won't get bit-perfect playback over Bluetooth regardless of settings. QBZ will still play fine, but the audio quality is limited by the Bluetooth codec.
Yes. QBZ plays DSD content over DoP or native DSD where your DAC supports it. See Audio Configuration.
No — by design. The badge reports the quality that was actually delivered. If your DAC's cap, a cast device's tier, or the source forced a downgrade, a small arrow appears and the tooltip names the cause. A probed FLAC is never mislabeled as MP3.
FLAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3, AAC (M4A), and OGG Vorbis. See Local Library for details.
No. Tag edits are stored in a sidecar database. Your original files are never modified.
The local library and local file playback work without internet, but you need a Qobuz account to log in initially. QBZ is primarily a Qobuz client; local library support is an additional feature.
Yes. QBZ can import playlists from Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and Deezer using fuzzy track matching. See Integrations for details.
Yes. QBZ displays synchronized lyrics when available, with time-synced scrolling. You can click any line to seek to that position.
Yes. QBZ supports Chromecast and DLNA/UPnP casting. See Casting and Remote Control.
Yes, with offline queue support. See Integrations.
Eight: English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and Dutch. Change it in Settings.
An opt-in, app-wide backdrop that blooms album art (or an ambient shader) behind the whole shell. It's GPU-accelerated, so it wants a dedicated GPU and uses some resources — turn it on in Settings if you like the look.
Yes. The qbzd daemon is a windowless binary that plays to your DAC, appears as a Qobuz Connect device, and is controlled from the terminal, over SSH, or via MPRIS. It runs the same bit-perfect audio core as the desktop app. See Headless Daemon.
Yes. Launch with QBZ_PROFILE=kiosk for a touch-first interface built for touchscreens and small panels (it boots windowed; add QBZ_KIOSK_FULLSCREEN=1 for fullscreen). You can also toggle Kiosk ↔ Desktop live from the Now Playing layout menu.
See Troubleshooting#qbz-wont-start--crashes-on-launch.
Open Settings > Graphics and try turning hardware acceleration off, or turning Force X11 on. You can also override the renderer from the command line: QBZ_RENDERER=software qbz (CPU fallback) or QBZ_RENDERER=gl qbz (femtovg/GL). See Troubleshooting#graphics-issues.
Open an issue at github.com/vicrodh/qbz/issues.
Getting Started
Audio
Appearance
My QBZ
Features
Help