Method and apparatus for scalable channel decoding

A method and an apparatus for decoding a scalable channel are provided to adaptively supply the optimum quality of sound according to setting of various speakers which users have. Channel setting or speaker setting is recognized(103). Among channels encoded at an encoding terminal, a channel unusable in a multi-channel provided at a decoding terminal is determined to be not decoded(106). It is determined whether there are multi-channels decoded through the same path except the determined channel(108). The number of modules necessary for each multi-channel signal is computed according to the determined result(113). The multi-channel signal is upmixed and decoded according to the computed number of modules(158).