diff --git a/media_server/services/audio_analyzer.py b/media_server/services/audio_analyzer.py
index f96f019..321abc6 100644
--- a/media_server/services/audio_analyzer.py
+++ b/media_server/services/audio_analyzer.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """Audio spectrum analyzer service using system loopback capture."""
 
 import logging
+import math
 import platform
 import threading
 import time
@@ -71,6 +72,14 @@ class AudioAnalyzer:
         self._lifecycle_lock = threading.Lock()
         self._data: dict | None = None
         self._current_device_name: str | None = None
+        # Generation counter — bumped each time _data is refreshed.
+        # Lets the broadcast loop dedupe without comparing dict identity
+        # (which is fragile because we always allocate a new dict).
+        self._data_seq = 0
+        # Threading.Event signaled when new frame data is available.
+        # The broadcast loop awaits this instead of polling on a timer,
+        # so it wakes up exactly once per produced frame.
+        self._data_event = threading.Event()
         # Slow AGC envelope so the spectrum reflects real dynamics
         # instead of being renormalized to peak=1.0 every frame.
         # A loud transient (e.g. notification beep) lifts the reference
@@ -128,17 +137,30 @@ class AudioAnalyzer:
         """Stop audio capture and cleanup."""
         with self._lifecycle_lock:
             self._running = False
+            # Wake any waiter so it can observe _running and exit cleanly.
+            self._data_event.set()
             if self._thread:
                 self._thread.join(timeout=3.0)
                 self._thread = None
             with self._lock:
                 self._data = None
+            self._data_event.clear()
 
     def get_frequency_data(self) -> dict | None:
         """Return latest frequency data (thread-safe). None if not running."""
         with self._lock:
             return self._data
 
+    def get_frequency_data_versioned(self) -> tuple[dict | None, int]:
+        """Return (data, seq) so callers can dedupe without identity tricks."""
+        with self._lock:
+            return self._data, self._data_seq
+
+    @property
+    def data_event(self) -> threading.Event:
+        """Event signaled when a fresh frame is ready. Caller must clear()."""
+        return self._data_event
+
     @staticmethod
     def list_loopback_devices() -> list[dict[str, str]]:
         """List all available loopback audio devices."""
@@ -250,12 +272,24 @@ class AudioAnalyzer:
             return
 
         interval = 1.0 / self.target_fps
-        window = np.hanning(self.chunk_size)
+        # Float32 window — matches soundcard's typical buffer dtype and
+        # halves FFT memory traffic vs. the default float64.
+        window = np.hanning(self.chunk_size).astype(np.float32)
 
         # Pre-compute bin edge pairs for vectorized grouping
         edges = self._bin_edges
         bin_starts = np.array([edges[i] for i in range(self.num_bins)], dtype=np.intp)
         bin_ends = np.array([max(edges[i + 1], edges[i] + 1) for i in range(self.num_bins)], dtype=np.intp)
+        # Counts are constant — compute once.
+        bin_counts = (bin_ends - bin_starts).astype(np.float32)
+
+        # Pre-allocate working buffers so the per-frame allocator churn
+        # on the capture thread (which runs at target_fps Hz, hours on
+        # end) drops to zero copies for these arrays.
+        fft_size = self.chunk_size // 2 + 1
+        windowed = np.empty(self.chunk_size, dtype=np.float32)
+        cumsum = np.empty(fft_size + 1, dtype=np.float32)
+        cumsum[0] = 0.0
 
         try:
             with device.recorder(
@@ -284,21 +318,23 @@ class AudioAnalyzer:
                         time.sleep(interval)
                         continue
 
-                    # Apply window and compute FFT
-                    windowed = mono[:self.chunk_size] * window
+                    # Apply window in-place into the pre-allocated buffer.
+                    np.multiply(mono[:self.chunk_size], window, out=windowed)
                     fft_mag = np.abs(np.fft.rfft(windowed))
 
-                    # Group into logarithmic bins (vectorized via cumsum)
-                    cumsum = np.concatenate(([0.0], np.cumsum(fft_mag)))
-                    counts = bin_ends - bin_starts
-                    bins = (cumsum[bin_ends] - cumsum[bin_starts]) / counts
+                    # Group into logarithmic bins (vectorized via cumsum).
+                    # Write into the pre-allocated [1:] slice so cumsum[0]
+                    # stays 0.0 and we never allocate a new array.
+                    np.cumsum(fft_mag, out=cumsum[1:])
+                    bins = (cumsum[bin_ends] - cumsum[bin_starts]) / bin_counts
 
-                    # True loudness from time-domain RMS, mapped via dB
-                    # so the VU needle reflects actual program level — not
-                    # the per-frame-normalized spectrum.
-                    rms = float(np.sqrt(np.mean(mono.astype(np.float64) ** 2)))
-                    if rms > 1e-6:
-                        db = 20.0 * np.log10(rms)
+                    # True loudness from time-domain RMS via single BLAS
+                    # dot — avoids astype() and ** allocations.
+                    mono32 = mono if mono.dtype == np.float32 else mono.astype(np.float32, copy=False)
+                    energy = float(np.dot(mono32, mono32))
+                    if energy > 1e-12:
+                        rms = (energy / mono32.size) ** 0.5
+                        db = 20.0 * math.log10(rms)
                         # Map -60 dB..-6 dB to 0..1 (typical music range)
                         level = max(0.0, min(1.0, (db + 60.0) / 54.0))
                     else:
@@ -314,18 +350,33 @@ class AudioAnalyzer:
                     else:
                         self._spectrum_ref += (current_peak - self._spectrum_ref) * 0.005
                     ref = max(self._spectrum_ref, 1e-4)
-                    bins = np.clip(bins / ref, 0.0, 1.5)
+                    np.divide(bins, ref, out=bins)
+                    np.clip(bins, 0.0, 1.5, out=bins)
 
                     # Bass energy: average of first 4 bins (~20-200Hz)
                     bass = float(bins[:4].mean()) if self.num_bins >= 4 else 0.0
 
-                    # Round for compact JSON
-                    frequencies = np.round(bins, 3).tolist()
-                    bass = round(bass, 3)
-                    level = round(level, 3)
+                    # Quantize to 0..1000 ints — same wire fidelity as
+                    # 3-decimal floats but smaller GC churn on both ends
+                    # (frontend smooths anyway, so quantization is
+                    # invisible). JSON encodes ints faster than floats.
+                    frequencies = (bins * 1000.0).astype(np.int16).tolist()
+                    bass_i = int(bass * 1000.0)
+                    level_i = int(level * 1000.0)
 
+                    new_data = {
+                        "frequencies": frequencies,
+                        "bass": bass_i,
+                        "level": level_i,
+                        # Wire-format flag: clients that see this know
+                        # values are 0..1000 ints, not 0..1 floats.
+                        "scale": 1000,
+                    }
                     with self._lock:
-                        self._data = {"frequencies": frequencies, "bass": bass, "level": level}
+                        self._data = new_data
+                        self._data_seq += 1
+                    # Wake any broadcast loop waiting on fresh data.
+                    self._data_event.set()
 
                     # Throttle to target FPS
                     elapsed = time.monotonic() - t0
diff --git a/media_server/services/websocket_manager.py b/media_server/services/websocket_manager.py
index 3e9518b..5f2d57e 100644
--- a/media_server/services/websocket_manager.py
+++ b/media_server/services/websocket_manager.py
@@ -161,26 +161,48 @@ class ConnectionManager:
             self._audio_task = None
 
     async def _audio_broadcast_loop(self) -> None:
-        """Background loop: read frequency data from analyzer and broadcast to subscribers."""
-        from ..config import settings
-        interval = 1.0 / settings.visualizer_fps
+        """Background loop: read frequency data from analyzer and broadcast to subscribers.
 
-        _last_data = None
+        Event-driven: blocks on the analyzer's data_event so it wakes up
+        exactly once per produced frame, instead of polling on a timer.
+        Backstop sleep applies when capture is idle / has no subscribers.
+        """
+        from ..config import settings
+        idle_interval = 1.0 / max(1, settings.visualizer_fps)
+        # Bounded wait so we still notice subscribe/unsubscribe transitions.
+        wake_timeout = max(0.05, idle_interval)
+        loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
+
+        last_seq = -1
 
         while True:
             try:
                 async with self._lock:
                     subscribers = list(self._visualizer_subscribers)
 
-                if not subscribers or not self._audio_analyzer or not self._audio_analyzer.running:
-                    await asyncio.sleep(interval)
+                analyzer = self._audio_analyzer
+                if not subscribers or not analyzer or not analyzer.running:
+                    await asyncio.sleep(idle_interval)
                     continue
 
-                data = self._audio_analyzer.get_frequency_data()
-                if data is None or data is _last_data:
-                    await asyncio.sleep(interval)
+                # Wait off-loop for a fresh frame. The capture thread sets
+                # data_event after each FFT update; we clear it before the
+                # next wait so we never burn a wake on stale data.
+                ev = analyzer.data_event
+
+                def _wait() -> bool:
+                    return ev.wait(wake_timeout)
+
+                got = await loop.run_in_executor(None, _wait)
+                if not got:
+                    # Timeout — loop around to re-check subscriber state.
                     continue
-                _last_data = data
+                ev.clear()
+
+                data, seq = analyzer.get_frequency_data_versioned()
+                if data is None or seq == last_seq:
+                    continue
+                last_seq = seq
 
                 # Pre-serialize once for all subscribers (avoids per-client JSON encoding)
                 text = json.dumps({"type": "audio_data", "data": data}, separators=(',', ':'))
@@ -198,13 +220,11 @@ class ConnectionManager:
                 for ws in failed:
                     await self.disconnect(ws)
 
-                await asyncio.sleep(interval)
-
             except asyncio.CancelledError:
                 break
             except Exception as e:
                 logger.error("Error in audio broadcast: %s", e)
-                await asyncio.sleep(interval)
+                await asyncio.sleep(idle_interval)
 
     def status_changed(
         self, old: dict[str, Any] | None, new: dict[str, Any]
diff --git a/media_server/static/css/styles.css b/media_server/static/css/styles.css
index ccf91aa..254331d 100644
--- a/media_server/static/css/styles.css
+++ b/media_server/static/css/styles.css
@@ -4599,23 +4599,31 @@ body.visualizer-active .vinyl-stage .spectrogram-canvas {
    metadata lives in the masthead beside the stage.
    ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ */
 
-/* Glow: soft ambient halo behind the sleeve */
+/* Glow: soft ambient halo behind the sleeve.
+   Performance trick: render the image at 25% × 25% of the stage and
+   stretch it via transform: scale(4). Filter runs on the smaller
+   element (16× less area), and scale just upsamples the already-blurred
+   result. Visually identical to a blur(34px) over the full-size image
+   but ~10-16× cheaper on track-switch repaints. */
 .vinyl-stage > #album-art-glow {
     position: absolute;
-    inset: 0;
-    width: 100%;
-    height: 100%;
+    top: 50%;
+    left: 50%;
+    width: 25%;
+    height: 25%;
     border-radius: 0;
     object-fit: cover;
-    filter: blur(34px) saturate(1.6);
+    filter: blur(9px) saturate(1.6);
     opacity: 0.45;
     z-index: 0;
     pointer-events: none;
-    transform: scale(1.05);
+    transform: translate(-50%, -50%) scale(4.2);
+    transform-origin: center;
+    will-change: transform, opacity;
 }
 :root[data-theme="light"] .vinyl-stage > #album-art-glow {
     opacity: 0.26;
-    filter: blur(40px) saturate(1.8);
+    filter: blur(10px) saturate(1.8);
 }
 
 /* Honour reduced-motion: kill breathing pulse */
@@ -4683,7 +4691,8 @@ body.visualizer-active .vinyl-stage .spectrogram-canvas {
     margin: 0;
     background: transparent;
     filter: contrast(0.96) saturate(0.92);
-    transition: filter 0.6s ease;
+    /* No transition on filter: the values are static and a 600ms ease
+       on a track-switch swap would force a long compositor pass. */
 }
 
 /* Crossfade on artwork swap. Class toggled by player.js right before
@@ -6576,6 +6585,7 @@ footer .separator { color: var(--ink-ghost); margin: 0 8px; }
 }
 @media (max-width: 980px) {
     .now-playing { grid-template-columns: 1fr; gap: 40px; }
+    .now-playing .track-masthead { padding-right: 0; }
 }
 
 /* Vinyl/disc/tonearm rules live in the SLEEVE FRAME section under
@@ -6598,6 +6608,7 @@ footer .separator { color: var(--ink-ghost); margin: 0 8px; }
     flex-direction: column;
     justify-content: center;
     padding-top: 0;
+    padding-right: clamp(12px, 1.5vw, 24px);
     gap: 0;
 }
 
@@ -6702,7 +6713,9 @@ footer .separator { color: var(--ink-ghost); margin: 0 8px; }
     font-size: 9px;
     letter-spacing: 0.22em;
     text-transform: uppercase;
-    color: var(--ink-faint);
+    /* Match the .kicker (NOW PLAYING) color so the metadata grid reads
+       as part of the same typographic system. */
+    color: var(--copper);
     margin-bottom: 8px;
 }
 .now-playing .meta-cell .value {
@@ -6753,21 +6766,24 @@ footer .separator { color: var(--ink-ghost); margin: 0 8px; }
     opacity: 0.92;
     transform-origin: bottom;
     border-radius: 99px 99px 0 0;
-    height: var(--bar-h, 40%);
+    /* Bars are full-height boxes; the visible height is driven by
+       transform: scaleY. Transforms are GPU-composited, so per-frame
+       updates skip layout/paint entirely. */
+    height: 100%;
+    transform: scaleY(var(--bar-h-scale, 0.4));
     animation: sr-snap-bar 1.1s ease-in-out infinite;
     animation-delay: var(--bar-delay, 0s);
     animation-play-state: paused;
-    transition: height 60ms linear;
-    will-change: height;
+    transition: transform 50ms linear;
+    will-change: transform;
 }
 :root[data-playstate="playing"] .now-playing .spectrum span {
     animation-play-state: running;
 }
-/* When real audio data is driving heights, freeze the CSS animation
-   so JS-set heights aren't overridden by the keyframe. */
+/* When real audio data is driving the bars, freeze the synthetic CSS
+   animation so JS-set transforms aren't overridden by the keyframe. */
 body.audio-spectrum-live .now-playing .spectrum span {
     animation: none !important;
-    transition: height 50ms linear;
 }
 @keyframes sr-snap-bar {
     0%, 100% { transform: scaleY(0.4); }
@@ -6949,7 +6965,7 @@ body.audio-spectrum-live .now-playing .spectrum span {
 .now-playing .vu-volume #volume-slider {
     -webkit-appearance: none;
     appearance: none;
-    width: 80px;
+    width: 64px;
     height: 2px;
     background: var(--rule-strong);
     border-radius: 0;
@@ -6985,7 +7001,7 @@ body.audio-spectrum-live .now-playing .spectrum span {
 
 .now-playing .vu-meter {
     position: relative;
-    width: 140px;
+    width: 120px;
     height: 60px;
     background: linear-gradient(180deg, #1a1610 0%, #0e0c08 100%);
     border: 1px solid var(--rule-strong);
@@ -7044,6 +7060,28 @@ body.audio-spectrum-live .now-playing .spectrum span {
     font-weight: 400;
 }
 
+/* Light theme — paper-faced VU meter (vintage cream gauge instead of black) */
+:root[data-theme="light"] .now-playing .vu-meter {
+    background: linear-gradient(180deg, #FAF6EE 0%, #E8E0CE 100%);
+    border-color: var(--rule-strong);
+    box-shadow:
+        inset 0 1px 2px rgba(26, 23, 21, 0.08),
+        inset 0 0 24px rgba(31, 78, 61, 0.05);
+}
+:root[data-theme="light"] .now-playing .vu-meter::before {
+    background: repeating-conic-gradient(from 195deg at 50% 100%,
+        transparent 0deg 4deg,
+        rgba(26, 23, 21, 0.18) 4deg 5deg,
+        transparent 5deg 9deg);
+}
+:root[data-theme="light"] .now-playing .vu-meter::after {
+    color: var(--ink-mute);
+}
+:root[data-theme="light"] .now-playing .vu-needle {
+    background: linear-gradient(to top, var(--copper) 0%, var(--copper-lo) 70%, var(--ink) 100%);
+    box-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(31, 78, 61, 0.25);
+}
+
 /* Mobile VU cluster: stack below controls */
 @media (max-width: 720px) {
     .now-playing .controls { flex-wrap: wrap; }
@@ -8771,18 +8809,27 @@ body.is-fullscreen-player .fs-bloom {
     to   { opacity: 0.22; transform: scale(1); }
 }
 
+/* Performance trick (matches the vinyl-stage glow): render the bloom
+   image at 20% of the viewport and stretch it via scale(~6). Blur runs
+   over a 25× smaller area, so a track-switch repaint of the bloom
+   collapses from O(viewport-pixels × 110² ) to O(viewport/25 × 18²). */
 body.is-fullscreen-player .fs-bloom #fs-bloom-art {
-    width: 100%;
-    height: 100%;
+    position: absolute;
+    top: 50%;
+    left: 50%;
+    width: 20%;
+    height: 20%;
     object-fit: cover;
-    filter: blur(110px) saturate(1.6);
-    transform: scale(1.18);
+    filter: blur(18px) saturate(1.6);
+    transform: translate(-50%, -50%) scale(5.9);
+    transform-origin: center;
     animation: fs-bloom-drift 28s ease-in-out infinite alternate;
+    will-change: transform;
 }
 
 @keyframes fs-bloom-drift {
-    from { transform: scale(1.18) translate3d(-1.5%, -1%, 0); }
-    to   { transform: scale(1.22) translate3d(2%, 1.5%, 0); }
+    from { transform: translate(-50%, -50%) scale(5.9) translate3d(-1.5%, -1%, 0); }
+    to   { transform: translate(-50%, -50%) scale(6.1) translate3d(2%, 1.5%, 0); }
 }
 
 /* Subtle paper-grain veil over the bloom — keeps it from looking flat. */
diff --git a/media_server/static/js/app.js b/media_server/static/js/app.js
index 1d87d2e..beafb85 100644
--- a/media_server/static/js/app.js
+++ b/media_server/static/js/app.js
@@ -180,8 +180,10 @@ window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', async () => {
         const frag = document.createDocumentFragment();
         for (let i = 0; i < SPECTRUM_BARS; i++) {
             const s = document.createElement('span');
-            // Pseudo-random heights for the synthetic CSS animation phase
-            s.style.setProperty('--bar-h', (25 + Math.abs(Math.sin(i * 0.7)) * 70).toFixed(0) + '%');
+            // Pseudo-random initial scaleY for the synthetic CSS-only
+            // animation (used while no real audio is flowing).
+            const scale = (0.25 + Math.abs(Math.sin(i * 0.7)) * 0.70).toFixed(2);
+            s.style.setProperty('--bar-h-scale', scale);
             s.style.setProperty('--bar-delay', (-Math.random() * 1.1).toFixed(2) + 's');
             frag.appendChild(s);
         }
diff --git a/media_server/static/js/background.js b/media_server/static/js/background.js
index ca7c6e6..415f276 100644
--- a/media_server/static/js/background.js
+++ b/media_server/static/js/background.js
@@ -236,27 +236,54 @@ export function updateBackgroundColors() {
 
 // ---- Render loop ----
 
+// Cached step into the bins array; recomputed only when bins.length
+// changes (which happens at most once after the first audio frame
+// arrives or when num_bins is reconfigured).
+let bgBinsLength = -1;
+let bgBinsStep = 1;
+// Last applied resolution — drawing with stale viewport is harmless,
+// but we still need to refresh the uniform after the resize listener
+// has updated the canvas.
+let bgLastResW = -1;
+let bgLastResH = -1;
+
 function renderBackgroundFrame() {
     bgAnimFrame = requestAnimationFrame(renderBackgroundFrame);
 
     const gl = bgGL;
     if (!gl || !bgUniforms) return;
 
-    resizeBackgroundCanvas();
-    gl.viewport(0, 0, bgCanvas.width, bgCanvas.height);
+    // Resize listener already keeps canvas dimensions in sync — only
+    // touch the viewport when the canvas actually changed size, so the
+    // per-frame path doesn't read window.innerWidth (a layout-flushing
+    // property).
+    if (bgCanvas.width !== bgLastResW || bgCanvas.height !== bgLastResH) {
+        bgLastResW = bgCanvas.width;
+        bgLastResH = bgCanvas.height;
+        gl.viewport(0, 0, bgLastResW, bgLastResH);
+        gl.uniform2f(bgUniforms.resolution, bgLastResW, bgLastResH);
+    }
 
     const time = performance.now() / 1000 - bgStartTime;
 
-    // Smooth audio data from the imported frequencyData (shared with visualizer)
+    // Smooth audio data from the imported frequencyData (shared with visualizer).
+    // Backend may send float bins (legacy) or int×1000 (new); .scale tells us which.
     if (frequencyData && frequencyData.frequencies) {
         const bins = frequencyData.frequencies;
-        const step = Math.max(1, Math.floor(bins.length / BG_BAND_COUNT));
+        const scale = frequencyData.scale && frequencyData.scale > 0
+            ? 1.0 / frequencyData.scale : 1.0;
+        if (bins.length !== bgBinsLength) {
+            bgBinsLength = bins.length;
+            bgBinsStep = Math.max(1, Math.floor(bgBinsLength / BG_BAND_COUNT));
+        }
+        const step = bgBinsStep;
         for (let i = 0; i < BG_BAND_COUNT; i++) {
-            const idx = Math.min(i * step, bins.length - 1);
-            const target = bins[idx] || 0;
+            let idx = i * step;
+            if (idx >= bgBinsLength) idx = bgBinsLength - 1;
+            const target = (bins[idx] || 0) * scale;
             bgSmoothedBands[i] += (target - bgSmoothedBands[i]) * (1 - BG_SMOOTHING);
         }
-        const targetBass = frequencyData.bass || 0;
+        const targetBass = (frequencyData.bass || 0) * scale;
         bgSmoothedBass += (targetBass - bgSmoothedBass) * (1 - BG_SMOOTHING);
     } else {
         // Gentle decay when no audio
@@ -267,7 +294,6 @@ function renderBackgroundFrame() {
     }
 
     // Set uniforms (locations cached at init, colors cached on change)
-    gl.uniform2f(bgUniforms.resolution, bgCanvas.width, bgCanvas.height);
     gl.uniform1f(bgUniforms.time, time);
     gl.uniform1f(bgUniforms.bass, bgSmoothedBass);
     gl.uniform1fv(bgUniforms.bands, bgSmoothedBands);
diff --git a/media_server/static/js/core.js b/media_server/static/js/core.js
index dabc61a..6b7959c 100644
--- a/media_server/static/js/core.js
+++ b/media_server/static/js/core.js
@@ -140,7 +140,10 @@ export function cacheDom() {
 
 // Timing constants
 export const VOLUME_THROTTLE_MS = 16;
-export const POSITION_INTERPOLATION_MS = 100;
+// 250ms is plenty for sub-second progress; the inline updateProgress
+// also short-circuits when the rounded second hasn't moved, so there's
+// no visible difference for the user.
+export const POSITION_INTERPOLATION_MS = 250;
 export const SEARCH_DEBOUNCE_MS = 200;
 export const TOAST_DURATION_MS = 3000;
 export const WS_BACKOFF_BASE_MS = 3000;
diff --git a/media_server/static/js/player.js b/media_server/static/js/player.js
index b451057..2aac0ee 100644
--- a/media_server/static/js/player.js
+++ b/media_server/static/js/player.js
@@ -165,6 +165,9 @@ export function applyAccentColor(color, hover) {
     const dot = document.getElementById('accentDot');
     if (dot) dot.style.background = color;
     updateBackgroundColors();
+    // Refresh the cached accent in the visualizer so the gradient
+    // rebuilds on its next frame instead of querying CSS every frame.
+    refreshVisualizerAccent();
 }
 
 export function renderAccentSwatches() {
@@ -215,12 +218,49 @@ export function setVisualizerEnabled(value) {
     visualizerEnabled = !!value;
     localStorage.setItem('visualizerEnabled', visualizerEnabled);
 }
+let visualizerCanvas = null;       // Cached canvas DOM ref
 let visualizerCtx = null;
+let visualizerGradient = null;     // Pre-built gradient (rebuilt on accent change / resize)
 let visualizerAnimFrame = null;
-export let frequencyData = null;
-export function setFrequencyData(value) { frequencyData = value; }
+export let frequencyData = null;   // Latest payload from backend (int-scaled or float-scaled)
+let frequencyDataVersion = 0;       // Bumped on every setFrequencyData
+let lastRenderedVersion = -1;       // Last version rendered in renderVisualizerFrame
+let frequenciesScale = 1.0;         // Backend scale factor (1000 → ints, 1 → floats)
+export function setFrequencyData(value) {
+    frequencyData = value;
+    frequencyDataVersion++;
+    // Backend may send integer-quantized bins (scale=1000) or legacy floats (no scale).
+    if (value && typeof value.scale === 'number' && value.scale > 0) {
+        frequenciesScale = 1.0 / value.scale;
+    } else {
+        frequenciesScale = 1.0;
+    }
+}
 let smoothedFrequencies = null;
 const VISUALIZER_SMOOTHING = 0.15;
+// Cached accent — refreshed by applyAccentColor() rather than on every frame.
+let cachedAccentHex = '#1db954';
+let cachedAccentRGB = '29,185,84';
+function parseAccentHex(hex) {
+    const h = (hex || '').trim().replace('#', '');
+    if (h.length < 6) return null;
+    const r = parseInt(h.slice(0, 2), 16);
+    const g = parseInt(h.slice(2, 4), 16);
+    const b = parseInt(h.slice(4, 6), 16);
+    if (Number.isNaN(r) || Number.isNaN(g) || Number.isNaN(b)) return null;
+    return `${r},${g},${b}`;
+}
+export function refreshVisualizerAccent() {
+    const accentHex = getComputedStyle(document.documentElement)
+        .getPropertyValue('--accent').trim();
+    if (accentHex) {
+        cachedAccentHex = accentHex;
+        const rgb = parseAccentHex(accentHex);
+        if (rgb) cachedAccentRGB = rgb;
+    }
+    // Force gradient rebuild on next frame.
+    visualizerGradient = null;
+}
 
 export async function checkVisualizerAvailability() {
     try {
@@ -274,15 +314,28 @@ export function applyVisualizerMode() {
 }
 
 function initVisualizerCanvas() {
-    const canvas = document.getElementById('spectrogram-canvas');
-    if (!canvas) return;
-    visualizerCtx = canvas.getContext('2d');
-    canvas.width = 300;
-    canvas.height = 64;
+    visualizerCanvas = document.getElementById('spectrogram-canvas');
+    if (!visualizerCanvas) return;
+    visualizerCtx = visualizerCanvas.getContext('2d');
+    visualizerCanvas.width = 300;
+    visualizerCanvas.height = 64;
+    visualizerGradient = null;  // Force rebuild
+    refreshVisualizerAccent();
+}
+
+function buildVisualizerGradient() {
+    if (!visualizerCtx || !visualizerCanvas) return null;
+    const h = visualizerCanvas.height;
+    const grad = visualizerCtx.createLinearGradient(0, 0, 0, h);
+    grad.addColorStop(0, `rgba(${cachedAccentRGB},1)`);
+    grad.addColorStop(1, `rgba(${cachedAccentRGB},0.19)`);
+    return grad;
 }
 
 function startVisualizerRender() {
     if (visualizerAnimFrame) return;
+    // Cache editorial spectrum bar refs once per start.
+    cacheEditorialSpectrumBars();
     renderVisualizerFrame();
 }
 
@@ -291,62 +344,70 @@ export function stopVisualizerRender() {
         cancelAnimationFrame(visualizerAnimFrame);
         visualizerAnimFrame = null;
     }
-    const canvas = document.getElementById('spectrogram-canvas');
-    if (visualizerCtx && canvas) {
-        visualizerCtx.clearRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
+    if (visualizerCtx && visualizerCanvas) {
+        visualizerCtx.clearRect(0, 0, visualizerCanvas.width, visualizerCanvas.height);
     }
     frequencyData = null;
+    frequencyDataVersion++;     // Force next render to redraw cleared state
+    lastRenderedVersion = -1;
     smoothedFrequencies = null;
     document.body.classList.remove('audio-spectrum-live');
-    // Reset spectrum bar heights so the synthetic CSS animation takes back over
-    document.querySelectorAll('.now-playing .spectrum > span').forEach(s => {
-        s.style.height = '';
-    });
+    // Reset spectrum bar transforms so the synthetic CSS animation takes back over.
+    if (editorialSpectrumBars) {
+        for (let i = 0; i < editorialSpectrumBars.length; i++) {
+            editorialSpectrumBars[i].style.transform = '';
+        }
+    }
+    // Drop cached bars so next start re-queries.
+    editorialSpectrumBars = null;
+    editorialSpectrumLastScale = null;
 }
 
 function renderVisualizerFrame() {
     visualizerAnimFrame = requestAnimationFrame(renderVisualizerFrame);
 
-    const canvas = document.getElementById('spectrogram-canvas');
-    if (!frequencyData || !visualizerCtx || !canvas) return;
+    // VU needle + position progress always tick — they read live state
+    // not bound to spectrum payloads. Keeping them in this single rAF
+    // is cheaper than running a second rAF loop just for the needle.
+    tickVuNeedle();
+
+    if (!frequencyData || !visualizerCtx || !visualizerCanvas) return;
+
+    // FPS gate: backend pushes ~visualizer_fps Hz; the monitor refreshes
+    // at 60-144 Hz. Re-rendering an unchanged frame is wasted work, so
+    // bail when no new payload has arrived since the last draw.
+    if (frequencyDataVersion === lastRenderedVersion) return;
+    lastRenderedVersion = frequencyDataVersion;
 
     const bins = frequencyData.frequencies;
     const numBins = bins.length;
-    const w = canvas.width;
-    const h = canvas.height;
+    const w = visualizerCanvas.width;
+    const h = visualizerCanvas.height;
     const gap = 2;
     const barWidth = (w / numBins) - gap;
-    const accent = getComputedStyle(document.documentElement)
-        .getPropertyValue('--accent').trim();
+    const scale = frequenciesScale;
 
     if (!smoothedFrequencies || smoothedFrequencies.length !== numBins) {
-        smoothedFrequencies = new Array(numBins).fill(0);
+        smoothedFrequencies = new Float32Array(numBins);
     }
     for (let i = 0; i < numBins; i++) {
+        const v = bins[i] * scale;
         smoothedFrequencies[i] = smoothedFrequencies[i] * VISUALIZER_SMOOTHING
-            + bins[i] * (1 - VISUALIZER_SMOOTHING);
+            + v * (1 - VISUALIZER_SMOOTHING);
     }
 
-    visualizerCtx.clearRect(0, 0, w, h);
+    if (!visualizerGradient) visualizerGradient = buildVisualizerGradient();
 
+    visualizerCtx.clearRect(0, 0, w, h);
+    visualizerCtx.fillStyle = visualizerGradient;
+    visualizerCtx.beginPath();
     for (let i = 0; i < numBins; i++) {
         const barHeight = Math.max(1, smoothedFrequencies[i] * h);
         const x = i * (barWidth + gap) + gap / 2;
         const y = h - barHeight;
-
-        const grad = visualizerCtx.createLinearGradient(x, y, x, h);
-        grad.addColorStop(0, accent);
-        grad.addColorStop(1, accent + '30');
-
-        visualizerCtx.fillStyle = grad;
-        visualizerCtx.beginPath();
         visualizerCtx.roundRect(x, y, barWidth, barHeight, 1.5);
-        visualizerCtx.fill();
     }
-
-    // Bass-driven album-art scale + glow pulse removed — the
-    // "burst" looked unnatural on the sleeve. Spectrum bars +
-    // VU needle remain the audio-reactive elements.
+    visualizerCtx.fill();
 
     // Drive the editorial .spectrum bars from the same frequency data.
     updateEditorialSpectrum(smoothedFrequencies, numBins);
@@ -357,36 +418,79 @@ function renderVisualizerFrame() {
 // dominate); a linear mapping leaves the right half of the spectrum
 // looking dead. Use a logarithmic frequency-to-bar mapping plus a
 // per-bar high-end gain so all bars carry visible motion.
-function updateEditorialSpectrum(bins, numBins) {
-    const root = document.querySelector('.now-playing .spectrum');
-    if (!root) return;
-    const bars = root.children;
-    const barCount = bars.length;
-    if (!barCount) return;
-    document.body.classList.add('audio-spectrum-live');
+let editorialSpectrumBars = null;            // Live HTMLCollection cached at start
+let editorialSpectrumBarCount = 0;
+let editorialSpectrumLastScale = null;        // Float32Array of last applied scaleY × 1000 (int rounded)
+let editorialBarRanges = null;                // Pre-computed [startIdx,endIdx] pairs per bar
+let editorialBarGains = null;                  // Pre-computed per-bar gain
+let editorialBarRangesForBins = -1;           // numBins last used to compute ranges
 
-    // Skip the very lowest bin (DC + sub-rumble) which often dominates.
+function cacheEditorialSpectrumBars() {
+    const root = document.querySelector('.now-playing .spectrum');
+    if (!root) {
+        editorialSpectrumBars = null;
+        editorialSpectrumBarCount = 0;
+        return;
+    }
+    editorialSpectrumBars = root.children;
+    editorialSpectrumBarCount = editorialSpectrumBars.length;
+    editorialSpectrumLastScale = new Int16Array(editorialSpectrumBarCount);
+    editorialSpectrumLastScale.fill(-1);
+    // Pre-compute per-bar gain (constant for the lifetime of the bar list).
+    editorialBarGains = new Float32Array(editorialSpectrumBarCount);
+    for (let i = 0; i < editorialSpectrumBarCount; i++) {
+        editorialBarGains[i] = 1 + (i / editorialSpectrumBarCount) * 0.8;
+    }
+    editorialBarRangesForBins = -1; // Force range recompute on next call
+}
+
+function recomputeEditorialBarRanges(numBins) {
+    const barCount = editorialSpectrumBarCount;
+    editorialBarRanges = new Int16Array(barCount * 2);
     const lowBin = 1;
     const highBin = numBins - 1;
+    const span = highBin - lowBin;
     for (let i = 0; i < barCount; i++) {
-        // Logarithmic mapping: equal-area slices of the audible spectrum
-        // map to equal numbers of bars. Each bar covers a wider bin range
-        // toward the highs so they get amplified naturally.
         const t0 = i / barCount;
         const t1 = (i + 1) / barCount;
-        const startIdx = Math.max(lowBin, Math.floor(lowBin + Math.pow(t0, 2.0) * (highBin - lowBin)));
-        const endIdx = Math.max(startIdx + 1, Math.floor(lowBin + Math.pow(t1, 2.0) * (highBin - lowBin)));
+        const startIdx = Math.max(lowBin, Math.floor(lowBin + t0 * t0 * span));
+        const endIdx = Math.max(startIdx + 1, Math.floor(lowBin + t1 * t1 * span));
+        editorialBarRanges[i * 2] = startIdx;
+        editorialBarRanges[i * 2 + 1] = Math.min(endIdx, numBins);
+    }
+    editorialBarRangesForBins = numBins;
+}
+
+function updateEditorialSpectrum(bins, numBins) {
+    if (!editorialSpectrumBars) cacheEditorialSpectrumBars();
+    const barCount = editorialSpectrumBarCount;
+    if (!barCount) return;
+    if (editorialBarRangesForBins !== numBins) recomputeEditorialBarRanges(numBins);
+    document.body.classList.add('audio-spectrum-live');
+
+    const ranges = editorialBarRanges;
+    const gains = editorialBarGains;
+    const lastScale = editorialSpectrumLastScale;
+    const bars = editorialSpectrumBars;
+    for (let i = 0; i < barCount; i++) {
+        const startIdx = ranges[i * 2];
+        const endIdx = ranges[i * 2 + 1];
         let peak = 0;
-        for (let j = startIdx; j < endIdx && j < numBins; j++) {
-            if (bins[j] > peak) peak = bins[j];
+        for (let j = startIdx; j < endIdx; j++) {
+            const v = bins[j];
+            if (v > peak) peak = v;
         }
-        // Per-bar high-end gain: 1.0 at the lowest bar, ~1.8 at the highest.
-        // Backend now ships AGC-normalized bins (peak ~1, transients up to 1.5)
-        // so the master multiplier stays modest to avoid perma-clipping.
-        const gain = 1 + (i / barCount) * 0.8;
-        // Floor at 12% so silent bars are still visually present.
-        const pct = Math.max(12, Math.min(100, peak * 65 * gain));
-        bars[i].style.height = pct + '%';
+        // Backend ships AGC-normalized bins (peak ~1, transients up to ~1.5).
+        // Map to a 0.12..1.0 scaleY, with 0.12 floor so silent bars stay visible.
+        const raw = peak * 0.65 * gains[i];
+        const scaleY = raw < 0.12 ? 0.12 : (raw > 1 ? 1 : raw);
+        // Quantize to 1/1000 — anything finer is invisible. Skip the DOM
+        // write when the bar hasn't moved.
+        const q = (scaleY * 1000) | 0;
+        if (q === lastScale[i]) continue;
+        lastScale[i] = q;
+        // transform: scaleY runs on the compositor — no layout/paint.
+        bars[i].style.transform = `scaleY(${scaleY.toFixed(3)})`;
     }
 }
 
@@ -616,18 +720,46 @@ export function setupProgressDrag(bar, fill) {
 // Replace the album-art src and replay the .is-swapping CSS animation
 // so the new artwork crossfades in instead of popping. Re-toggling the
 // class across rAF restarts the keyframes even if it was already on.
+//
+// `forceAnim=false` skips the keyframe-restart reflow when the element
+// has never run the swap animation before — saves a synchronous layout
+// flush on first paint. The reflow IS still required when the class
+// is currently applied; otherwise the browser coalesces add+remove and
+// the keyframes don't replay.
 function swapArtworkSrc(imgEl, newSrc) {
     if (!imgEl) return;
     if (imgEl.src === newSrc) return;
-    imgEl.classList.remove('is-swapping');
-    void imgEl.offsetWidth;
+    const wasSwapping = imgEl.classList.contains('is-swapping');
+    if (wasSwapping) {
+        imgEl.classList.remove('is-swapping');
+        // Forced reflow restarts the keyframes — only needed when we have
+        // to interrupt an in-flight animation.
+        void imgEl.offsetWidth;
+    }
     imgEl.src = newSrc;
     imgEl.classList.add('is-swapping');
 }
 
+// Hash of the last fully-rendered status payload — lets us skip
+// updateUI altogether when the backend re-broadcasts the same state.
+let lastStatusFingerprint = null;
+function statusFingerprint(s) {
+    return [
+        s.state, s.title, s.artist, s.album, s.volume, s.muted,
+        s.duration, s.source, s.album_art_url, s.position
+    ].join('|');
+}
+
 export function updateUI(status) {
     setLastStatus(status);
 
+    // Idempotence: if nothing meaningful changed, skip the entire DOM
+    // pass. Track switches arrive as 1-3 status_update broadcasts in
+    // quick succession; this gates the redundant ones.
+    const fingerprint = statusFingerprint(status);
+    if (fingerprint === lastStatusFingerprint) return;
+    lastStatusFingerprint = fingerprint;
+
     const fallbackTitle = status.state === 'idle' ? t('player.no_media') : t('player.title_unavailable');
     dom.trackTitle.textContent = status.title || fallbackTitle;
     dom.artist.textContent = status.artist || '';
@@ -654,7 +786,10 @@ export function updateUI(status) {
         const placeholderArt = "data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 300 300'%3E%3Cpath fill='%236a6a6a' opacity='0.35' d='M150 80c-38.66 0-70 31.34-70 70s31.34 70 70 70 70-31.34 70-70-31.34-70-70-70zm0 20c27.614 0 50 22.386 50 50s-22.386 50-50 50-50-22.386-50-50 22.386-50 50-50zm0 30a20 20 0 100 40 20 20 0 000-40z'/%3E%3C/svg%3E";
         const placeholderGlow = "data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 300 300'%3E%3Crect fill='%23282828' width='300' height='300'/%3E%3C/svg%3E";
         if (artworkSource) {
-            fetch(`/api/media/artwork?_=${Date.now()}`, {
+            // No cache-buster: when album_art_url is unchanged the
+            // browser can reuse the decoded bitmap. The artworkKey gate
+            // already skips fetches when the user hasn't switched tracks.
+            fetch('/api/media/artwork', {
                 headers: getAuthHeaders()
             })
             .then(r => r.ok ? r.blob() : null)
@@ -664,8 +799,11 @@ export function updateUI(status) {
                 const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
                 currentArtworkBlobUrl = url;
                 swapArtworkSrc(dom.albumArt, url);
-                dom.miniAlbumArt.src = url;
-                if (dom.albumArtGlow) dom.albumArtGlow.src = url;
+                if (dom.miniAlbumArt.src !== url) dom.miniAlbumArt.src = url;
+                if (dom.albumArtGlow && dom.albumArtGlow.src !== url) dom.albumArtGlow.src = url;
+                // Mirror to fullscreen bloom directly — drops the
+                // MutationObserver fan-out path.
+                syncFullscreenBloomArt(url);
                 if (oldBlobUrl) setTimeout(() => URL.revokeObjectURL(oldBlobUrl), 1000);
             })
             .catch(err => console.error('Artwork fetch failed:', err));
@@ -675,17 +813,22 @@ export function updateUI(status) {
                 currentArtworkBlobUrl = null;
             }
             swapArtworkSrc(dom.albumArt, placeholderArt);
-            dom.miniAlbumArt.src = placeholderArt;
-            if (dom.albumArtGlow) dom.albumArtGlow.src = placeholderGlow;
+            if (dom.miniAlbumArt.src !== placeholderArt) dom.miniAlbumArt.src = placeholderArt;
+            if (dom.albumArtGlow && dom.albumArtGlow.src !== placeholderGlow) dom.albumArtGlow.src = placeholderGlow;
+            syncFullscreenBloomArt(placeholderGlow);
         }
     }
 
     if (status.duration && status.position !== null) {
+        // Only redo the progress DOM when position actually changed.
+        const positionChanged =
+            status.duration !== currentDuration ||
+            Math.abs((status.position || 0) - (lastPositionValue || 0)) > 0.05;
         setCurrentDuration(status.duration);
         setCurrentPosition(status.position);
         lastPositionUpdate = Date.now();
         lastPositionValue = status.position;
-        updateProgress(status.position, status.duration);
+        if (positionChanged) updateProgress(status.position, status.duration);
     }
 
     if (!isUserAdjustingVolume) {
@@ -730,17 +873,24 @@ export function updateUI(status) {
 // FFT data the visualizer feeds in). When audio capture isn't
 // running, fall back to a synthetic wobble bounded by the volume
 // slider position so the needle still looks alive.
-let vuWobbleHandle = null;
+//
+// One unified rAF drives both the spectrum and the VU needle (see
+// renderVisualizerFrame → tickVuNeedle). If the visualizer isn't
+// rendering, a separate rAF takes over solely for the needle.
+let vuStandaloneHandle = null;
 let vuWobbleStart = 0;
 let vuLevelSmoothed = 0;
+let vuNeedleEl = null;          // Cached needle element
+let vuVolumeSliderEl = null;     // Cached slider element
+let vuLastAppliedDeg = -999;     // Skip DOM writes when angle unchanged
 const VU_LEVEL_ATTACK = 0.7;   // Fast climb so the needle catches musical hits
 const VU_LEVEL_RELEASE = 0.25; // Faster fall so it swings between hits, not pins
 
 function readAudioLevel() {
     if (!frequencyData) return null;
-    // Backend sends a true loudness signal (RMS-derived dB, 0..1).
-    // The bins are renormalized per frame so peak-of-bins is useless for level.
-    if (typeof frequencyData.level === 'number') return frequencyData.level;
+    // Backend sends a true loudness signal (RMS-derived dB, 0..1) —
+    // either as float (legacy) or scaled int (new format).
+    if (typeof frequencyData.level === 'number') return frequencyData.level * frequenciesScale;
     if (!frequencyData.frequencies) return null;
     const bins = frequencyData.frequencies;
     if (!bins.length) return null;
@@ -748,52 +898,62 @@ function readAudioLevel() {
     for (let i = 1; i < bins.length; i++) {
         if (bins[i] > peak) peak = bins[i];
     }
-    return Math.min(1, peak * 1.4);
+    return Math.min(1, peak * frequenciesScale * 1.4);
+}
+
+function tickVuNeedle() {
+    if (!vuNeedleEl) vuNeedleEl = document.getElementById('vuNeedle');
+    if (!vuNeedleEl) return;
+    const audioLevel = readAudioLevel();
+    let target;
+    if (audioLevel != null) {
+        const k = audioLevel > vuLevelSmoothed ? VU_LEVEL_ATTACK : VU_LEVEL_RELEASE;
+        vuLevelSmoothed = vuLevelSmoothed * (1 - k) + audioLevel * k;
+        target = -22 + vuLevelSmoothed * 44;
+    } else {
+        if (!vuVolumeSliderEl) vuVolumeSliderEl = document.getElementById('volume-slider');
+        const vol = vuVolumeSliderEl ? Number(vuVolumeSliderEl.value) || 0 : 0;
+        const base = -22 + (vol / 100) * 44;
+        const mag = Math.max(2, Math.min(14, vol * 0.16));
+        const t = (performance.now() - vuWobbleStart) / 1000;
+        target = base
+            + Math.sin(t * 6.3) * mag * 0.55
+            + Math.sin(t * 11.7 + 1.3) * mag * 0.30
+            + (Math.random() - 0.5) * mag * 0.30;
+    }
+    // Quantize to 0.1° — finer is invisible. Skip when unchanged.
+    const q = Math.round(target * 10) / 10;
+    if (q === vuLastAppliedDeg) return;
+    vuLastAppliedDeg = q;
+    vuNeedleEl.style.transform = `rotate(${q}deg)`;
 }
 
 function startVuWobble() {
-    if (vuWobbleHandle) return;
     vuWobbleStart = performance.now();
-    const tick = () => {
-        const needle = document.getElementById('vuNeedle');
-        if (needle) {
-            // Loopback capture is post-volume on Windows/macOS, so the
-            // measured level already reflects the output knob — no extra
-            // (vol/100) attenuation needed.
-            const audioLevel = readAudioLevel();
-            let target;
-            if (audioLevel != null) {
-                // Real audio: apply attack/release smoothing for
-                // analog-feeling ballistics.
-                const k = audioLevel > vuLevelSmoothed ? VU_LEVEL_ATTACK : VU_LEVEL_RELEASE;
-                vuLevelSmoothed = vuLevelSmoothed * (1 - k) + audioLevel * k;
-                target = -22 + vuLevelSmoothed * 44;
-            } else {
-                const slider = document.getElementById('volume-slider');
-                const vol = slider ? Number(slider.value) || 0 : 0;
-                const base = -22 + (vol / 100) * 44;
-                const mag = Math.max(2, Math.min(14, vol * 0.16));
-                const t = (performance.now() - vuWobbleStart) / 1000;
-                target = base
-                    + Math.sin(t * 6.3) * mag * 0.55
-                    + Math.sin(t * 11.7 + 1.3) * mag * 0.30
-                    + (Math.random() - 0.5) * mag * 0.30;
-            }
-            needle.style.transform = `rotate(${target}deg)`;
+    // If the visualizer rAF is already running, it ticks the needle for us.
+    if (visualizerAnimFrame) return;
+    if (vuStandaloneHandle) return;
+    const standalone = () => {
+        tickVuNeedle();
+        // Stop ourselves once the unified visualizer loop is up.
+        if (visualizerAnimFrame) {
+            vuStandaloneHandle = null;
+            return;
         }
-        vuWobbleHandle = requestAnimationFrame(tick);
+        vuStandaloneHandle = requestAnimationFrame(standalone);
     };
-    vuWobbleHandle = requestAnimationFrame(tick);
+    vuStandaloneHandle = requestAnimationFrame(standalone);
 }
 
 function stopVuWobble() {
-    if (vuWobbleHandle) {
-        cancelAnimationFrame(vuWobbleHandle);
-        vuWobbleHandle = null;
+    if (vuStandaloneHandle) {
+        cancelAnimationFrame(vuStandaloneHandle);
+        vuStandaloneHandle = null;
     }
     vuLevelSmoothed = 0;
-    const needle = document.getElementById('vuNeedle');
-    if (needle) needle.style.transform = 'rotate(-22deg)';
+    vuLastAppliedDeg = -999;
+    if (!vuNeedleEl) vuNeedleEl = document.getElementById('vuNeedle');
+    if (vuNeedleEl) vuNeedleEl.style.transform = 'rotate(-22deg)';
 }
 
 export function updatePlaybackState(state) {
@@ -830,30 +990,58 @@ export function updatePlaybackState(state) {
     }
 }
 
+// Cache last applied progress values so we can skip DOM writes when the
+// rounded second hasn't moved. Width is quantized to 0.1% — finer is
+// invisible but would still trigger compositor work.
+let lastProgressTenths = -1;       // 0..1000 (0.1% increments)
+let lastProgressSec = -1;
+let lastDurationSec = -1;
+let cachedMiniBar = null;
+
 function updateProgress(position, duration) {
     const percent = (position / duration) * 100;
-    const widthStr = `${percent}%`;
-    const currentStr = formatTime(position);
-    const totalStr = formatTime(duration);
+    const tenths = Math.round(percent * 10);   // 0..1000
     const posRound = Math.round(position);
     const durRound = Math.round(duration);
 
-    dom.progressFill.style.width = widthStr;
-    dom.currentTime.textContent = currentStr;
-    dom.totalTime.textContent = totalStr;
-    if (dom.metaElapsed) dom.metaElapsed.textContent = currentStr;
-    if (dom.metaLength) dom.metaLength.textContent = totalStr;
-    dom.progressBar.dataset.duration = duration;
-    dom.progressBar.setAttribute('aria-valuenow', posRound);
-    dom.progressBar.setAttribute('aria-valuemax', durRound);
+    const widthChanged = tenths !== lastProgressTenths;
+    const posChanged = posRound !== lastProgressSec;
+    const durChanged = durRound !== lastDurationSec;
 
-    dom.miniProgressFill.style.width = widthStr;
-    dom.miniCurrentTime.textContent = currentStr;
-    dom.miniTotalTime.textContent = totalStr;
-    if (dom.miniPlayer) dom.miniPlayer.style.setProperty('--mini-progress', widthStr);
-    const miniBar = document.getElementById('mini-progress-bar');
-    miniBar.setAttribute('aria-valuenow', posRound);
-    miniBar.setAttribute('aria-valuemax', durRound);
+    if (widthChanged) {
+        lastProgressTenths = tenths;
+        const widthStr = (tenths / 10) + '%';
+        dom.progressFill.style.width = widthStr;
+        dom.miniProgressFill.style.width = widthStr;
+        if (dom.miniPlayer) dom.miniPlayer.style.setProperty('--mini-progress', widthStr);
+    }
+
+    if (posChanged) {
+        lastProgressSec = posRound;
+        const currentStr = formatTime(position);
+        dom.currentTime.textContent = currentStr;
+        if (dom.metaElapsed) dom.metaElapsed.textContent = currentStr;
+        dom.miniCurrentTime.textContent = currentStr;
+        dom.progressBar.setAttribute('aria-valuenow', posRound);
+    }
+
+    if (durChanged) {
+        lastDurationSec = durRound;
+        const totalStr = formatTime(duration);
+        dom.totalTime.textContent = totalStr;
+        if (dom.metaLength) dom.metaLength.textContent = totalStr;
+        dom.miniTotalTime.textContent = totalStr;
+        dom.progressBar.dataset.duration = duration;
+        dom.progressBar.setAttribute('aria-valuemax', durRound);
+    }
+
+    if (posChanged || durChanged) {
+        if (!cachedMiniBar) cachedMiniBar = document.getElementById('mini-progress-bar');
+        if (cachedMiniBar) {
+            if (posChanged) cachedMiniBar.setAttribute('aria-valuenow', posRound);
+            if (durChanged) cachedMiniBar.setAttribute('aria-valuemax', durRound);
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 export function startPositionInterpolation() {
@@ -901,13 +1089,15 @@ function updateMuteIcon(muted) {
 let fsChromeIdleTimer = null;
 const FS_CHROME_IDLE_MS = 2500;
 let fsLastFocusedElement = null;
-let fsBloomSyncObserver = null;
 
-function syncFullscreenBloomArt() {
-    const src = document.getElementById('album-art');
+// Mirror the album-art onto #fs-bloom-art (the fullscreen ambient
+// bloom). Called directly from the artwork-swap path — no
+// MutationObserver, so we never repaint the 110px-radius blur twice.
+function syncFullscreenBloomArt(url) {
     const bloom = document.getElementById('fs-bloom-art');
-    if (!src || !bloom) return;
-    if (src.src && src.src !== bloom.src) bloom.src = src.src;
+    if (!bloom) return;
+    const target = url || (dom && dom.albumArt && dom.albumArt.src) || '';
+    if (target && bloom.src !== target) bloom.src = target;
 }
 
 function showFsChrome() {
@@ -978,16 +1168,10 @@ export function enterPlayerFullscreen() {
     document.body.classList.add('is-fullscreen-player');
     setMiniPlayerVisible(false);
     updateFullscreenButtonIcons(true);
+    // Initial mirror — subsequent swaps are pushed by updateUI directly,
+    // so there is no MutationObserver in the hot path.
     syncFullscreenBloomArt();
 
-    // Watch for album-art swaps so the bloom keeps up.
-    const src = document.getElementById('album-art');
-    if (src && 'MutationObserver' in window) {
-        if (fsBloomSyncObserver) fsBloomSyncObserver.disconnect();
-        fsBloomSyncObserver = new MutationObserver(syncFullscreenBloomArt);
-        fsBloomSyncObserver.observe(src, { attributes: true, attributeFilter: ['src'] });
-    }
-
     document.addEventListener('mousemove', onFsMouseMove, { passive: true });
     document.addEventListener('keydown', onFsKeyDown);
     showFsChrome();
@@ -1017,10 +1201,6 @@ export function exitPlayerFullscreen({ skipNativeExit = false } = {}) {
         clearTimeout(fsChromeIdleTimer);
         fsChromeIdleTimer = null;
     }
-    if (fsBloomSyncObserver) {
-        fsBloomSyncObserver.disconnect();
-        fsBloomSyncObserver = null;
-    }
 
     document.removeEventListener('mousemove', onFsMouseMove);
     document.removeEventListener('keydown', onFsKeyDown);