Every setup on this page runs through the same mechanism: Audio MIDI Setup's Multi-Output Device, the free built-in way macOS combines outputs, or Chorus, a paid app that groups the same devices with a working volume slider. So "what's the best way" is really "which combination of speakers do you have", and this guide sorts that out.
Because there is one underlying technology, none of the specific guides on this site disagree with each other, they just cover different combinations of devices. Rather than repeat any one of them here, this page works as a signpost: find your scenario below and it points straight to the setup steps that apply to you.
What is actually happening underneath all of this?
Whichever guide you end up on, the mechanism is the same. macOS can build a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup, a free wrapper that sends one audio stream to two or more real outputs at once. Chorus builds the same kind of group, using the same multi-output support already in macOS, but adds one working volume slider, per-device balance, and a keyboard shortcut for switching groups. Neither one is a driver and neither needs a kernel extension. They are two ways of using the same feature, one free and manual, one paid and more convenient, so picking between them is less about capability and more about how often you plan to touch it.
Which setup do you actually have?
The steps that suit you depend entirely on what you are plugging in. Match your situation below.
Two similar wired speakers
Two ordinary wired speakers, USB or 3.5mm, that you want playing the same thing at once is the base case everything else builds on. How to play audio through two speakers at once covers the Audio MIDI Setup steps and the volume-slider trade-off that comes with the free route.
Two Studio Displays
Each Studio Display carries its own speakers and macOS treats it as a separate output, so pairing two of them uses the same Multi-Output step as any other pair. Start with using two Studio Displays as one output if you just want both playing the same mix. If you want a genuine left and right split instead of both displays playing the full stereo signal, you need channel mapping, which is covered in true left/right stereo from two Studio Displays.
One of your speakers is Bluetooth
This works, but it carries a timing risk the wired scenarios above do not. Bluetooth audio is compressed and buffered before it reaches the speaker, adding a small delay a directly wired connection does not have. Group a Bluetooth speaker with a wired one, or two Bluetooth speakers together, and that gap can show up as a faint echo rather than a clean stereo image. Two Bluetooth speakers at once and connecting a Bluetooth speaker and a wired speaker together both cover the setup and how noticeable the lag actually is in practice.
A whole-house or multi-room setup
If the goal is more than one room playing independently, rather than two speakers on the same desk, a Mac-based Multi-Output Device is the wrong tool for it. Both the free route and Chorus route audio through the Mac itself, so every speaker in the group stops the moment the Mac sleeps or the app closes. Multi-room audio on a Mac lays out when that limit actually matters and when you need standalone networked speakers like Sonos instead.
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Download for MacYour speakers are naturally different volumes
Two speakers rarely put out the same loudness at the same setting, whether that is a mismatch in price, distance from the desk, or just different manufacturers. This is a separate problem from anything above and can happen with any pair, wired or wireless. One speaker louder than the other walks through fixing the balance so the pair sounds even instead of lopsided toward whichever side is louder.
Should you use the free route or pay for Chorus?
Audio MIDI Setup's Multi-Output Device does the actual work behind every guide above, for free, forever. It is a fine permanent choice if you build one group and rarely touch it, and you do not mind the volume slider greying out. Chorus groups the same devices but keeps one working slider, per-device balance, and a keyboard shortcut for switching setups, which matters most if you swap groups often, for example a desk pair one moment and a desk pair plus a HomePod the next. Chorus is a one-time $4.99 purchase covering up to three Macs, with a 30-day free trial that needs no account and no card details, so trying it costs nothing.
If you are still not sure where to start
Start with two ordinary wired speakers if you have them, since that is the simplest version of the same mechanism every scenario above is built on, and most of the others are that same case plus one wrinkle, whether that is a display, a Bluetooth connection, or a volume mismatch. Build the Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup first: it costs nothing and takes two minutes, and within a day of using it you will know whether the greyed-out volume slider bothers you enough to want Chorus's single slider and shortcut instead.
For the step-by-step on building a Multi-Output Device, see Apple's own guide to Audio MIDI Setup.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to set up multiple speakers on a Mac?
It depends on which speakers you own, not on a single correct method. Every setup runs through the same mechanism, either Audio MIDI Setup's free Multi-Output Device or Chorus, so the real question is which combination of devices you have: two wired speakers, a Studio Display pair, a Bluetooth speaker, or a multi-room setup, each of which has its own best approach.
Do wired and Bluetooth speakers need different setup steps on a Mac?
They use the same Multi-Output Device mechanism, but Bluetooth adds a timing risk that wired speakers do not have. Bluetooth audio is compressed and buffered before it reaches the speaker, so a Bluetooth speaker grouped with a wired one, or with another Bluetooth speaker, can lag slightly and produce a faint echo rather than a clean stereo image.
Can I combine wired and wireless speakers on the same Mac?
Yes. A Multi-Output Device can mix wired outputs, Bluetooth speakers, and AirPlay devices like a HomePod in one group. The trade-off is timing: wireless legs travel a slightly longer, slower path than a direct wired connection, so the more wireless devices in a group, the more likely a small lag becomes audible.
Is Chorus a multi-room or whole-house audio system?
No. Chorus and Audio MIDI Setup both route audio through the Mac itself, so every grouped speaker stops the moment the Mac sleeps or the app quits. A true multi-room setup, where each room keeps playing independently, needs standalone networked speakers such as Sonos rather than a Mac-based group.
Should I use the free method or pay for Chorus?
Audio MIDI Setup's Multi-Output Device is free and permanent, and it is enough if you build one group and rarely touch it. Chorus costs $4.99 once and adds a volume slider that actually works, per-device balance, and a keyboard shortcut to switch groups, which is worth it if you change setups often.
