QBZ

QBZ is a free and open source (FOSS) Qobuz client for Linux with native, high-fidelity playback. It is a real desktop application, not a web wrapper, so it can use DAC passthrough, preserve hi-res sample rates end-to-end, and deliver bit-perfect audio.

Why QBZ

Browsers cap audio output around 48 kHz, while Qobuz streams up to 192 kHz. QBZ uses a native playback pipeline with direct device control so your system and DAC receive the original resolution, with caching and system integrations that wrappers cannot provide.

Installation

Arch Linux (AUR)

# Using yay
yay -S qbz-bin

# Using paru
paru -S qbz-bin

Flatpak

# Download from releases
flatpak install ./QBZ.flatpak

AppImage / Tarball

Download the latest release from the Releases page.

Note: Pre-built binaries include all API integrations (Last.fm, Discogs, Spotify, Tidal) ready to use. If you build from source, you'll need to provide your own API keys.

Screenshots

Coming soon.

Features

Streaming and Playback

• Qobuz authentication and full catalog search (albums, tracks, artists, playlists).
• Native decoding for FLAC, MP3, AAC, and ALAC with real-time playback state updates.
• Quality selection with automatic fallback across Qobuz tiers.
• Audio device enumeration and per-device output selection.
• DAC passthrough mode for bit-perfect playback.
• Gapless-ready playback pipeline with precise position tracking.

Queue and Library

• Queue management with shuffle, repeat, and history navigation.
• In-memory audio cache with LRU eviction and next-track prefetching.
• Favorites and playlists from your Qobuz account.
• Local library backend: directory scanning, metadata extraction, CUE sheet parsing, and SQLite indexing.

Playlist Import

• Import playlists from Spotify and Tidal into your Qobuz library.
• Automatic track matching with fuzzy search.
• Batch import with progress tracking.

Network Casting

• Chromecast device discovery and streaming.
• DLNA/UPnP device discovery and streaming (AVTransport SOAP).
• Unified cast picker with protocol selection.
• Seamless playback handoff to network devices.

Integrations

• MPRIS media controls and media key support on Linux.
• Desktop notifications for track changes.
• Last.fm scrobbling and now-playing updates.
• Discogs artwork fetching for local library.
• Shareable Qobuz URLs and universal SongLink links (Odesli).

Interface

• Now playing, queue panel, and full-screen playback views.
• Focus mode for distraction-free listening.
• Mini player mode.
• Keyboard shortcuts for common actions.
• English and Spanish localization.

Settings

• Audio device selection and quality preferences.
• API keys configuration for self-hosted builds.
• Theme and appearance options.

Open Source

QBZ is MIT-licensed and fully open source. No telemetry, no lock-in, and no hidden services. Just a clean, transparent player built for Linux audio fans.

Inspiration

QBZ draws inspiration from projects like qobuz-dl, and from the broader Linux audio community that values open tools and high-fidelity playback.

Tech Stack

• Desktop: Rust + Tauri 2
• Frontend: SvelteKit 5 + TypeScript + Vite
• Audio: rodio + symphonia
• Networking: reqwest
• Local library: walkdir + lofty + rusqlite
• Integrations: souvlaki (MPRIS), notify-rust, SongLink (Odesli)
• UX: svelte-i18n, lucide-svelte

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Rust (latest stable)
• Node.js 20+
• Linux with audio support (PipeWire, ALSA, or PulseAudio)
• System dependencies: webkit2gtk-4.1, gtk3, alsa-lib

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/vicrodh/qbz.git
cd qbz

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run tauri dev

# Build for production
npm run tauri build

Environment Variables

When building from source, you need to provide your own API keys. Copy the example environment file:

cp .env.example .env

Last.fm Integration

1. Go to Last.fm API Account
2. Create a new application
3. Add to .env:

LAST_FM_API_KEY=your_api_key
LAST_FM_API_SHARED_SECRET=your_shared_secret

Discogs Integration (Local Library Artwork)

1. Go to Discogs Developer Settings
2. Create a new application
3. Add to .env:

DISCOGS_API_CLIENT_KEY=your_consumer_key
DISCOGS_API_CLIENT_SECRET=your_consumer_secret

Spotify Integration (Playlist Import)

1. Go to Spotify Developer Dashboard
2. Create a new application
3. Add to .env:

SPOTIFY_API_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
SPOTIFY_API_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret

Tidal Integration (Playlist Import)

1. Go to Tidal Developer Portal
2. Create a new application
3. Add to .env:

TIDAL_API_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
TIDAL_API_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret

Note: All integrations are optional. The application will work without them, but the corresponding features will be disabled.

Project Structure

qbz/
├── src/                  # Frontend (SvelteKit)
├── src-tauri/
│   └── src/
│       ├── api/          # Qobuz API client
│       ├── player/       # Audio playback engine
│       ├── queue/        # Queue management
│       ├── cache/        # Audio cache and prefetch
│       ├── cast/         # Chromecast & DLNA casting
│       ├── library/      # Local library backend
│       ├── lastfm/       # Last.fm integration
│       ├── discogs/      # Discogs integration
│       ├── playlist_import/ # Spotify/Tidal import
│       ├── share/        # SongLink / share utilities
│       ├── media_controls/ # MPRIS integration
│       └── commands/     # Tauri IPC commands
├── packaging/
│   ├── aur/              # Arch Linux PKGBUILD
│   └── flatpak/          # Flatpak manifest
└── static/               # Static assets and logo

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests.

License

MIT