Support
Help, and honest answers.
Most questions are answered below. If yours is not, write to us, a real person reads it.
Getting started
Point Quetzal at your music folder, pick your output device, and check the signal path. That is the whole setup.
Formats & specs
Which codecs, sample rates and bit depths are supported, and the one case that is not bit-perfect.
Still stuck
Bugs, licence trouble, or a device behaving strangely. Include your macOS version and your DAC.
Buying & licensing
Is Quetzal a subscription?
No. Pro is a one-time purchase of $29.50 through the Mac App Store. There’s no recurring charge, and no separate fee for point updates.
What does the free version actually do?
Everything except the bit-perfect part. You get the full library, search, playlists, favourites, the visualizer, the waveform, the mini player and all of internet radio — but playback is limited to MP3. Lossless, hi-res, DSD and exclusive device access are Pro.
Can I try Pro before buying?
Yes, and you should. The 14-day trial unlocks everything. Because the free tier is MP3-only, the trial is the only way to hear Quetzal against your own FLAC files and your own DAC — which is the thing you’re actually judging.
How many Macs can I use it on?
Purchases go through the Mac App Store, so the standard Apple terms apply: any Mac signed in to your Apple ID.
Can I get a refund?
Refunds are handled by Apple, not by us, since the purchase is theirs. Use Report a Problem in your App Store purchase history. If something is broken rather than merely disappointing, write to us first — we would rather fix it.
Playback & audio
What does bit-perfect actually mean here?
The samples in your file reach the DAC unaltered. No resampling, no system mixer, no volume scaling unless you ask for it. Quetzal takes the audio device exclusively, locks it to the file’s own sample rate, and confirms that rate before playback starts rather than assuming it.
Which formats and sample rates are supported?
FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, WavPack, DSF, DFF, MP3, AAC/M4A, Ogg Vorbis, Opus and CAF. Sample rates from 44.1 up to 352.8 kHz, at 16, 24 and 32-bit integer as well as 32-bit float.
Is DSD converted to PCM?
No. DSD is packed over DoP and passed through without conversion. DSD64 is supported from both DSF and DFF files.
Why don't you claim bit-perfect for 32-bit integer files?
Because it would not be true. Quetzal decodes them, but the internal pipeline is 32-bit float, which cannot represent every distinct 32-bit integer value. Every other format is genuinely bit-perfect, and we would rather say so precisely than round the claim up.
Does the EQ break bit-perfect playback?
Yes, by definition — and Quetzal tells you so. Engage the parametric EQ and the signal path switches to “Modified — not bit-perfect” with the gain change shown. That is the point of showing the chain rather than asserting it.
What is integer mode?
A hardware path that avoids a float conversion stage on devices that support it. Quetzal uses it where available and shows you in the signal path when it is active.
Library & files
How large a library can it handle?
It is tested at 100,000 tracks, opening in under two seconds with search responding in roughly 50 ms across titles, artists and albums.
Where do artist images come from?
Your own files first. Failing that, MusicBrainz and Wikidata — and failing that, a mosaic built from that artist’s own covers.
Can I import my existing playlists?
Yes. M3U import and export are supported, along with playlist folders and drag and drop.
Does it modify my files or move them?
No. Quetzal reads your folders where they are. It does not rewrite tags, rename files or reorganise directories.
Troubleshooting
There's no sound, or the wrong device is playing.
Check the device shown in the signal path first — exclusive access means Quetzal holds one device, and it may not be the one macOS is using for everything else. Change it in the transport bar’s device chip.
Another app can't play audio while Quetzal is open.
That is exclusive access working as intended: nothing else can resample or mix into your music while Quetzal holds the device. Release it by pausing, or turn exclusive access off if you need to share the output.
A radio station keeps dropping.
Streams fail; the directory is community-maintained and continuously checked, but stations go down. Quetzal reconnects automatically with backoff. If one station is persistently dead, it is likely gone rather than broken.
The sample rate isn't switching.
Some devices refuse rate changes while another process holds them. Quit other audio apps, then check the signal path — it reports the rate the hardware is actually locked to, not the rate we asked for.
Not covered here?
Write to us with your macOS version, your audio device and what you expected to happen. Vague reports get slow answers; specific ones get fixed.