How to Install QSpeakers on Ubuntu 22.04 | 20.04

QSpeakers is a free, open-source graphical software that simulates common acoustical enclosure behaviors to help design and tune loudspeaker systems based on the loudspeaker driver’s Thiele / Small parameters and the chosen enclosure type. The following tutorial will demonstrate how to install QSpeakers on Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish or Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa using the standard APT repository on Ubuntu or using a Flatpak installation utilizing the Flathub repository.

Recommended Steps Before Installation

Before you begin, run an update on your system to ensure all packages are up-to-date to avoid any conflicts during the installation.

sudo apt update

Optionally, you can list the updates for users who require review or are curious.

sudo apt --list upgradable

Proceed to upgrade any outdated packages using the following command.

sudo apt upgrade

Method 1: Ubuntu Repository

By default, QSpeakers is present on Ubuntu’s default APT repositories making the installation quick and straightforward. The only downside is that it is a few versions back.

Run the following command to install QSpeakers on your Ubuntu desktop.

sudo apt install qspeakers -y

Overall, I suggest using Flatpak with the Flathub repository if you want the latest version. This will always lead to the most up-to-date version of the maintainer continuing to support QSpeakers, and it does not matter which Ubuntu distribution version you have installed.

Method 2 – Flatpak with Flathub Repository

The second option is to install the Flatpak package manager on your Ubuntu desktop. Flatpak is Snap’s main rival for new Linux users who have just installed Ubuntu. It is deployed as the default third-party backup installation manager on such distros as Fedora, CentOS, Linux Mint, etc.

First, install the Flatpak manager. If Flatpak is already installed, skip this process and move straight to the installation commands.

sudo apt install flatpak -y

For users installing Flatpak for the first time, it is often recommended to reboot your system. Failure to do this can occur with odd issues, such as wrong icon paths.

sudo reboot

Next, you need to enable Flatpack using the following command in your terminal.

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Now install QSpeakers using the following flatpak command.

flatpak install flathub fr.free.brouits.qspeakers -y

Troubleshoot Flatpak QSpeakers Installation

First, the most common error when installing a Flatpak from Flathub is the following error output.

"error: Unable to load summary from remote flathub: Can't fetch summary from disabled remote 'flathub,"

The fix is simple, run the following command to enable Flathub.

flatpak remote-modify --enable flathub

This will fix the issue the above issue. The next issue can be access to system files. I would only recommend using the following command if you have access permission with your installation accessing files; use the override command below.

sudo flatpak override flathub fr.free.brouits.qspeakers --filesystem=host

Please do not use this command by default unless it is needed.

How to Launch QSpeakers

Launching can be done in a few ways now that you have the software installed.

In your terminal, use the following command.

qspeakers

Flatpak installations can use the alternative command instead.

flatpak run fr.free.brouits.qspeakers

However, not all people have a terminal open on their desktops. Use the following path to locate the application icon and launch the media player directly.

Activities > Show Applications > QSpeakers

Once open, you can begin using QSpeakers.

And that is it, and you have successfully installed the latest version of QSpeakers using the LaunchPAD PPA or Flatpak with Flathub.

Additional Commands & Tips

How to Update QSpeakers

The software should update itself with your system packages for desktop users using the APT package manager. For users who want to check manually, use the following command in your terminal.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Lastly, use the following command for any user that installed QSpeakers using the Flatpak method.

flatpak update

How to Remove QSpeakers

Use the following command entirely for users who no longer wish to have QSpeakers on their system and want to remove the software.

sudo apt autoremove qspeakers --purge

The above command is a blanket command that will remove all associated unused dependencies along with QSpeakers and any saved data created by the software for complete removal.

For Flatpak installations, use the following command to remove the application.

flatpak uninstall --delete-data fr.free.brouits.qspeakers

Next, run the following command for any leftover clean-up.

flatpak remove --unused

Conclusion

The tutorial taught you how to install QSpeakers on Ubuntu using two different methods on your Ubuntu desktop.