How to play DTS audio on a Mac

Movies and TV episodes in MKV files, especially Blu-ray rips, often carry DTS surround sound. QuickTime Player doesn’t open MKV files, and macOS’s built-in video player doesn’t decode DTS, so on a Mac you need a player that decodes DTS itself.

The kinds of DTS, and what plays in Leah

DTS track	What it is	In Leah
DTS	Surround sound in up to 5.1 channels	Plays in up to 5.1 channels
DTS-HD Master Audio	Lossless audio built on a DTS core	Plays its 5.1 DTS core
DTS:X	Object-based audio built on a DTS core	Plays its 5.1 DTS core
DTS Express	A low-bitrate format used for commentary tracks, with no DTS core	Doesn’t play

DTS-HD and DTS:X tracks carry a regular DTS track inside them, called the core. Leah plays that core, without the extra channels or lossless detail the track adds on top.

Play a DTS track in Leah

Open the MKV file in Leah. Leah decodes DTS itself, so there’s nothing to install or set up.

If the file has more than one audio track, Leah plays the one the file marks as the default. To make a different track the default, you can change the file’s track settings with a tool such as MKVToolNix.

If a DTS track plays without sound

It may be DTS Express. Commentary tracks in DTS Express have no DTS core, so Leah plays the video without sound. Check the track’s format with a tool such as MediaInfo.
It may not be DTS at all. Leah doesn’t play Vorbis audio, which some MKV and WebM files use. See Formats Leah plays.
Check the output. Make sure your Mac’s volume is up and sound is going to the speakers or headphones you expect in System Settings > Sound.

Get Leah

Leah is a video player for Macs with Apple silicon and macOS 15 or later. It also plays Dolby TrueHD in up to 7.1 channels, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus. Get it on the Mac App Store.