--- a/src/xa.c
+++ b/src/xa.c
@@ -141,6 +141,12 @@
         ft->signal.rate = xa->header.sampleRate;
     } else {
         lsx_report("User options overriding rate read in .xa header");
+    }
+
+    if (ft->signal.channels == 0 || ft->signal.channels > UINT16_MAX) {
+        lsx_fail_errno(ft, SOX_EFMT, "invalid channel count %d",
+                       ft->signal.channels);
+        return SOX_EOF;
     }
 
     /* Check for supported formats */