Map the actual listening route
Write down where sound should emerge: the Mac’s built-in speakers or an external receiver. Then identify the Mac model, physical connection and receiver. A monitor advertising a high resolution is not evidence that the entire audio route supports the intended Dolby format.
Keep one authorized known sample and a recoverable record of the current setting. If the real source’s format is unknown, inspect its properties first. An app preference cannot establish that a sample contains the soundtrack being investigated.
Apply the documented prerequisite check
Apple documents View, Audio, Prefer Passthrough for Dolby playback through a supporting receiver connected by HDMI to an Apple-silicon Mac. It says to turn the setting off when using the Mac’s built-in speakers. Keep that hardware scope attached to the instruction.
Confirm each part of the route before experimenting: the actual Mac architecture, the receiver’s supported audio formats and the connection in use. Do not transfer this HDMI procedure to an arbitrary Bluetooth speaker or assume an adapter has established every receiver capability.
Compare the intended output without stacking changes
If the prerequisites apply, inspect the preference and test the known sample through the intended receiver at a sensible listening level. Note the receiver’s reported format if available and the audible result. Keep application selection, output destination and sample unchanged during the comparison.
When returning to built-in speakers, restore the documented non-passthrough setting and check a simple known audio file. If the result differs, retain the exact route and setting rather than treating every silent sample as the same problem. No Mac, receiver or media sample was tested for this guide.
Questions answered
Does this instruction apply to any Mac and any speaker?
No. Apple specifies Apple silicon, HDMI and a receiver supporting the relevant Dolby audio formats.
What changes when I return to the Mac speakers?
Apple says to turn Prefer Passthrough off for the built-in speakers. Check the actual output route as well as the preference.
Sources & further reading
Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.