diff --git a/macos/Runner/MpvPlayer/MpvPlayerCore.swift b/macos/Runner/MpvPlayer/MpvPlayerCore.swift
index 2dd360385..119c47cbc 100644
--- a/macos/Runner/MpvPlayer/MpvPlayerCore.swift
+++ b/macos/Runner/MpvPlayer/MpvPlayerCore.swift
@@ -102,10 +102,14 @@ class MpvPlayerCore: MpvPlayerCoreBase {
   }
 
   override func configurePlatformMpvOptions(mpv: OpaquePointer) {
-    // Keep every macOS format on CoreAudio's HAL-backed path. This deliberately
-    // gives up AVFoundation spatialization so PCM and compressed streams share
-    // the same stable output implementation.
-    checkError(mpv_set_option_string(mpv, "ao", "coreaudio"))
+    // CoreAudio first: every format normally plays through the one HAL-backed
+    // timing path, deliberately giving up AVFoundation spatialization. The
+    // avfoundation fallback mirrors upstream mpv's macOS probe order and only
+    // engages when CoreAudio's init fails outright — macOS 27 beta rejects
+    // ao_coreaudio's channel-layout setup with paramErr (-50), and a
+    // single-entry ao list would turn that into playback with no audio at
+    // all (#1964).
+    checkError(mpv_set_option_string(mpv, "ao", "coreaudio,avfoundation"))
   }
 
   func reattachMetalLayer() {
diff --git a/macos/RunnerTests/RunnerTests.swift b/macos/RunnerTests/RunnerTests.swift
index bde419155..5236d998d 100644
--- a/macos/RunnerTests/RunnerTests.swift
+++ b/macos/RunnerTests/RunnerTests.swift
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ final class MpvPlayerContractTests: XCTestCase {
     XCTAssertFalse(core.isPaused, "The accepted pause write must commit before completion")
   }
 
-  func testMacOSVideoCoreUsesCoreAudioOutput() {
+  func testMacOSVideoCoreUsesCoreAudioWithAVFoundationFallback() {
     guard let mpv = mpv_create() else {
       return XCTFail("mpv_create failed")
     }
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ final class MpvPlayerContractTests: XCTestCase {
       mpv_get_property_string(mpv, $0)
     }
     defer { mpv_free(optionValue) }
-    XCTAssertEqual(optionValue.map { String(cString: $0) }, "coreaudio")
+    XCTAssertEqual(optionValue.map { String(cString: $0) }, "coreaudio,avfoundation")
   }
 
   func testPauseIntentUpdatesCacheBeforeAsyncWriteCompletes() {