Using two Studio Displays as one audio output

A Mac can only send audio to one Studio Display's speakers at a time by default, even with two connected. Build a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup from both displays and they play together, with the left display carrying the left channel and the right carrying the right, giving you real stereo across the desk.

Two Studio Displays either side of a desk is a genuinely good speaker setup, six drivers total and positioned exactly where a stereo pair should be. macOS just does not use it that way out of the box, because Sound settings can only point at one output at once, and a display is one output. Getting both playing together needs a couple of minutes in Audio MIDI Setup.

Build the combined output

1. Open Audio MIDI Setup, in Applications › Utilities.
2. Click the + at the bottom of the device list and choose Create Multi-Output Device.
3. Tick Use next to both Studio Displays in the list on the right.
4. Whichever display is ticked first becomes the primary device and sets the clock for the pair. Pick either one, it does not matter which.
5. Tick Drift Correction on the display that is not primary.
6. Select the new device as your Mac's output, either in Sound settings or by holding Option and clicking the volume icon in the menu bar.

Both displays now play the same audio at once. That alone is often enough, but it plays the identical signal out of both, which is mono rather than the wide stereo image the hardware is actually capable of.

Getting real left and right, not just louder mono

To use the left display for the left channel and the right display for the right, open the Multi-Output Device's channel routing in Audio MIDI Setup: select the device, open the drop-down for each display's stereo output, and route channel 1 (left) to whichever display sits on your left and channel 2 (right) to the one on your right. The result is a genuine stereo pair spanning the width of the desk, rather than the same mono signal doubled.

Why does the sound cut out after a couple of seconds?

This is a separate, well-documented issue from the routing above, and it is worth knowing the two are different problems. Some Studio Display owners get sound for a second or two, sometimes with a brief scratching noise, before it cuts out entirely on one or both displays. It is widely enough reported that Apple has published its own troubleshooting steps, and one of the suggested checks is refreshingly literal: make sure the microphone and speaker openings on the display are not covered by tape, a sticker, or anything else blocking them.

Beyond that, the usual steps apply: keep macOS and the display's own firmware current, disconnect and reconnect the Thunderbolt cable, and try removing the display from any Multi-Output Device, testing it alone, then rebuilding the group once it behaves on its own. If sound still drops on a single display with nothing else attached, that points to the display or cable rather than anything in the audio setup covered here.

Doing this without the manual channel routing

Chorus builds the same kind of group as Audio MIDI Setup, both Studio Displays included, but with a volume that actually works: pull one display's level down a little if it sits closer to you, and the balance holds every time you use the group afterwards. You still get one control for both displays instead of the two-step process of setting each one by hand described earlier in this guide.

What Chorus does not do is the manual left/right channel split above. If a precise hand-built stereo image across two displays matters more than everyday convenience, that part is worth doing directly in Audio MIDI Setup as described, even if you use Chorus for the day-to-day volume control afterwards.

Frequently asked questions