Vespertine Download
Press kit

Everything you need to write about Vespertine.

Vespertine is a free, open-source music player for the Mac. It switches the DAC to each track's native sample rate and bit depth, shows BIT-PERFECT only when nothing has touched the samples, and says what changed whenever something did. It plays DSD up to DSD512, Dolby Atmos, TrueHD and DTS, including DTS CDs; renders surround as head-tracked Spatial Audio on AirPods; and flags “hi-res” files that were upsampled or made from lossy sources.

Fact sheet

NameVespertine (formerly Nocturne)
DeveloperAlexander Szeremeta, independent
PriceFree. Open source under the GPL-3.0; no account, subscription, ads or telemetry
PlatformmacOS 26 Tahoe or later, Apple silicon and Intel
Current version0.6.0 · signed and notarized DMG, updates itself
InstallDownload the DMG or brew install --cask szeremeta1/tap/vespertine
LinksWebsite · Source code · How to verify bit-perfect playback
Tested withFiiO K11 (every rate to 384 kHz, DoP, integer mode), AirPods Max over USB-C and Bluetooth, MacBook Pro speakers
How it's madeDesigned and directed by the developer; most of the code was written with AI coding agents (Claude Code and Codex), and every feature is checked on real hardware before release

What's different

  • An honest signal path. Each stage from file to DAC is shown with real numbers; BIT-PERFECT appears only when it is literally true.
  • Fake hi-res detection. Spectral analysis finds 16-bit audio padded to 24, upsampled CD masters, lossy-sourced files and synthetic “AI-enhanced” treble, and shows the evidence.
  • Surround you own. SACD rips, DTS CDs, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Atmos files play channel for channel, or as head-tracked Spatial Audio on AirPods.
  • AirPods Max over USB-C are recognised as a lossless 24-bit / 48 kHz device.
  • Free and open. Paid alternatives such as Audirvana Studio and Roon cost $79.99 and $149.88 a year.

Trailer

36 seconds, 16:9, 1080p at 60 fps, with sound. Download the MP4 (20 MB). A 4K master is available on request.

Logo

Always lowercase, the crescent always in brass. Please don't recolour, stretch or re-set it. Brand guide (PDF).

The Vespertine lockup: a brass crescent and the word vespertine
Primary · SVG · PNG · on light: SVG · PNG
The stacked Vespertine lockup
Stacked · SVG · PNG · crescent alone: SVG · PNG

Key art

One image per feature, in three sizes: 2400×1350, 1600×900 and 1270×760.

Bit-perfect: every sample, untouched
Bit-perfect: every sample, untouched · 2400 · 1600 · 1270
Fake hi-res detection
Fake hi-res detection · 2400 · 1600 · 1270
Surround as Spatial Audio on AirPods
Surround as Spatial Audio on AirPods · 2400 · 1600 · 1270
Native DSD over DoP
Native DSD over DoP · 2400 · 1600 · 1270
Stereo and surround versions
Stereo and surround versions · 2400 · 1600 · 1270

Screenshots

The real app on the developer's own library, 2400×1500. Album art belongs to its owners.

24-bit / 192 kHz, bit-perfect on a FiiO K11
24-bit / 192 kHz, bit-perfect on a FiiO K11
Albums filtered to multichannel
Albums filtered to multichannel
An SACD with stereo and 5.1 versions
An SACD with stereo and 5.1 versions
A DTS 5.1 CD as Spatial Audio on AirPods Max
A DTS 5.1 CD as Spatial Audio on AirPods Max
A “hi-res” file with synthetic treble
A “hi-res” file with synthetic treble
DSD64 over DoP
DSD64 over DoP
Genres
Genres
Search
Search
A smart playlist, bit-perfect on AirPods Max
A smart playlist, bit-perfect on AirPods Max

Contact

Press, questions and interview requests: press@szeremeta.org. Community questions: GitHub Discussions. Bugs and device reports: GitHub issues.