diff --git a/src/modules/module-protocol-pulse/format.c b/src/modules/module-protocol-pulse/format.c
index c6bfe3677..5f3081b51 100644
--- a/src/modules/module-protocol-pulse/format.c
+++ b/src/modules/module-protocol-pulse/format.c
@@ -376,6 +376,19 @@ static inline void channel_map_to_positions(const struct channel_map *map, uint3
 		pos[i] = map->map[i];
 }
 
+static inline void channel_map_parse(const char *str, struct channel_map *map)
+{
+	const char *p = str;
+	size_t len;
+
+	while (*p && map->channels < SPA_AUDIO_MAX_CHANNELS) {
+		if ((len = strcspn(p, ",")) == 0)
+			break;
+		map->map[map->channels++] = channel_paname2id(p, len);
+		p += len + strspn(p+len, ",");
+	}
+}
+
 static inline bool channel_map_valid(const struct channel_map *map)
 {
 	uint8_t i;
diff --git a/src/modules/module-protocol-pulse/module.c b/src/modules/module-protocol-pulse/module.c
index 03ef21ca7..723c93f45 100644
--- a/src/modules/module-protocol-pulse/module.c
+++ b/src/modules/module-protocol-pulse/module.c
@@ -180,7 +180,17 @@ static int load_module(struct client *client, const char *name, const char *argu
 			pw_properties_set(props, "rate", NULL);
 		}
 		if ((str = pw_properties_get(props, "channel_map")) != NULL) {
-			pw_properties_set(props, "audio.position", str);
+			struct channel_map map = CHANNEL_MAP_INIT;
+			uint32_t i;
+			char *s, *p;
+
+			channel_map_parse(str, &map);
+			p = s = alloca(map.channels * 6);
+
+			for (i = 0; i < map.channels; i++)
+				p += snprintf(p, 6, "%s%s", i == 0 ? "" : ",",
+						channel_id2name(map.map[i]));
+			pw_properties_set(props, "audio.position", s);
 			pw_properties_set(props, "channel_map", NULL);
 		}
 		if ((str = pw_properties_get(props, "device.description")) != NULL) {