diff --git a/crates/qbz-player/src/player/mod.rs b/crates/qbz-player/src/player/mod.rs
index 970c7b0b0..69df45837 100644
--- a/crates/qbz-player/src/player/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/qbz-player/src/player/mod.rs
@@ -542,25 +542,70 @@ fn uses_coreaudio_system_default(settings: &AudioSettings) -> bool {
         == AudioBackendType::SystemDefault
 }
 
+/// `evaluate_stream_recreate` runs every track change on the audio thread,
+/// and `coreaudio_nominal_rate` issues two CoreAudio HAL queries per call
+/// (`resolve_output_device_id` + `get_nominal_sample_rate`). A short-lived
+/// cache absorbs the bulk of those repeats — long enough to skip duplicate
+/// queries within an album, short enough to notice when the user changes the
+/// system audio rate.
+#[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
+const COREAUDIO_RATE_CACHE_TTL: std::time::Duration = std::time::Duration::from_millis(750);
+
+#[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
+struct CachedNominalRate {
+    cached_at: std::time::Instant,
+    device_name: Option<String>,
+    rate: Option<u32>,
+}
+
+#[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
+std::thread_local! {
+    static COREAUDIO_NOMINAL_RATE_CACHE: std::cell::RefCell<Option<CachedNominalRate>> =
+        const { std::cell::RefCell::new(None) };
+}
+
+#[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
+fn query_macos_nominal_rate(device_name: Option<&str>) -> Option<u32> {
+    let device_id = qbz_audio::coreaudio_direct::resolve_output_device_id(device_name)
+        .inspect_err(|e| {
+            log::warn!(
+                "[CoreAudio] Failed to resolve output device for rate check: {}",
+                e
+            )
+        })
+        .ok()?;
+
+    qbz_audio::coreaudio_direct::get_nominal_sample_rate(device_id)
+        .inspect_err(|e| log::warn!("[CoreAudio] Failed to query nominal rate: {}", e))
+        .ok()
+}
+
 #[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
 fn coreaudio_nominal_rate(settings: &AudioSettings) -> Option<u32> {
     if !uses_coreaudio_system_default(settings) {
         return None;
     }
 
-    let device_id =
-        qbz_audio::coreaudio_direct::resolve_output_device_id(settings.output_device.as_deref())
-            .inspect_err(|e| {
-                log::warn!(
-                    "[CoreAudio] Failed to resolve output device for rate check: {}",
-                    e
-                )
-            })
-            .ok()?;
+    let device_name = settings.output_device.clone();
+    let now = std::time::Instant::now();
 
-    qbz_audio::coreaudio_direct::get_nominal_sample_rate(device_id)
-        .inspect_err(|e| log::warn!("[CoreAudio] Failed to query nominal rate: {}", e))
-        .ok()
+    COREAUDIO_NOMINAL_RATE_CACHE.with(|cell| {
+        let mut cell = cell.borrow_mut();
+        if let Some(cached) = cell.as_ref() {
+            if cached.device_name == device_name
+                && now.duration_since(cached.cached_at) < COREAUDIO_RATE_CACHE_TTL
+            {
+                return cached.rate;
+            }
+        }
+        let rate = query_macos_nominal_rate(device_name.as_deref());
+        *cell = Some(CachedNominalRate {
+            cached_at: now,
+            device_name,
+            rate,
+        });
+        rate
+    })
 }
 
 #[cfg(target_os = "macos")]