Combining two Studio Displays into one output does not automatically split left and right between them. By default macOS sends both displays the identical full stereo mix. A true split, one display carrying left only and the other right only, needs a second step in Audio MIDI Setup's channel mapping.
If you have already paired two Studio Displays into a single output, you have the basic case covered: read using two Studio Displays as one audio output for that walkthrough, and come back here for the part it deliberately leaves out. This guide is about the next step up, sending genuinely different signal to each display rather than the same mix doubled, and being honest about when it is worth the extra fiddling.
What does the default combined setup actually give you?
Group two Studio Displays with a Multi-Output Device and both start playing at once, which already fixes the main problem of macOS only talking to one display's speakers at a time. What it does not do is separate the channels. A Multi-Output Device's default behaviour is to route every channel of the source audio to every device ticked in the group, so both displays receive the complete left-plus-right mix rather than one half each. Sit centred between them and it sounds fine, full and even. It is not, however, stereo in the sense of a signal panned across the pair.
For most desks this default is genuinely the right amount of setup. If the two displays sit roughly symmetrical either side of a centred listening position, doubling the full mix onto both sides sounds close to correct in practice, and it is one step instead of two.
How do you get a real left/right split instead?
A true split needs per-device channel mapping, which is a separate configuration screen from simply ticking devices into the group. With the Multi-Output Device selected in Audio MIDI Setup, each ticked device has its own channel routing controls: rather than leaving both displays set to receive channels 1 and 2, you assign channel 1 (left) only to the display on your left, and channel 2 (right) only to the display on your right. Once that is done, each display plays half the stereo picture rather than all of it, and the pair behaves like an actual stereo pair spanning the desk.
Is this actually worth setting up?
Only for a specific desk shape. If your two Studio Displays sit clearly to your left and right, roughly where studio monitors would go, a true split gives you real stereo imaging: music mixed with a wide soundstage, film dialogue anchored centre while effects pan around it, the kind of separation the mix engineer actually intended rather than a mono-ish blend from both sides. That is a genuine upgrade over the default for anyone doing critical listening or watching a lot of video at the desk.
It is not worth it for everyone. The split makes system alerts, notification sounds, and anything mixed dead centre sound like it is coming from neither speaker in particular, which some people find odd rather than better. If your two displays are not positioned symmetrically, or you mainly want consistent, even sound wherever you sit rather than a specific stereo image, the combined default from the basic pairing guide will serve you better with far less fiddling.
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Download for MacWhat does Chorus do for this setup, honestly?
Chorus's Groups feature combines devices to play the same audio as one, with a real working volume slider and keyboard shortcut for the pair, and a per-device balance you set once and keep. For two Studio Displays that means the common, symmetrical-desk case is handled well: one control for both, and the level between them held steady rather than resetting every time you switch to the group.
What Chorus does not do is per-device channel mapping. Assigning left-only output to one display and right-only to the other is a capability that lives in Audio MIDI Setup's advanced configuration, not in Chorus's Groups feature. If a true stereo split is what you are after, that specific step has to be done directly in Audio MIDI Setup as described above, even if you use Chorus for the day-to-day volume and switching afterwards.
For the step-by-step on building a Multi-Output Device, see Apple's own guide to Audio MIDI Setup.
Frequently asked questions
Do two Studio Displays play true stereo by default when combined?
No. A standard Multi-Output Device sends the same full stereo mix, left and right together, to every device in the group. Both Studio Displays end up playing the complete mix rather than one carrying left and the other carrying right.
How do I make one Studio Display play only the left channel and the other only the right?
In Audio MIDI Setup, select the Multi-Output Device, open the channel mapping for each display's output, and assign channel 1 (left) to the display on your left and channel 2 (right) to the display on your right, instead of leaving both set to send the full mix.
Is a true left/right split worth setting up?
Only if the two displays sit clearly to your left and right and you want real stereo imaging, music and video mixed for a spread rather than a centred source. If the desk is not symmetrical, or you mainly want alerts and calls to come from both sides, the simpler combined output serves you better.
Does Chorus support true left/right channel splitting?
No. Chorus's Groups feature combines devices to play the same audio as one, with a working shared volume and a balance you set between devices. Assigning left-only or right-only output to a specific device is a channel mapping capability that lives in Audio MIDI Setup, not in Chorus.
What does Chorus actually do for two Studio Displays?
Chorus groups both displays into one output with a real, working volume slider and keyboard shortcut, and holds a per-device balance so one side is not louder than the other. That covers the common combined-stereo case; it does not do the advanced per-channel routing described in this guide.
