diff --git a/assignment-client/src/audio/AudioMixerSlave.cpp b/assignment-client/src/audio/AudioMixerSlave.cpp
index 6d150a0dc3..29d42a9ced 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/audio/AudioMixerSlave.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/audio/AudioMixerSlave.cpp
@@ -129,6 +129,12 @@ bool AudioMixerSlave::prepareMix(const SharedNodePointer& listener) {
     AvatarAudioStream* listenerAudioStream = static_cast<AudioMixerClientData*>(listener->getLinkedData())->getAvatarAudioStream();
     AudioMixerClientData* listenerData = static_cast<AudioMixerClientData*>(listener->getLinkedData());
 
+    // if we received an invalid position from this listener, then refuse to make them a mix
+    // because we don't know how to do it properly
+    if (!listenerAudioStream->hasValidPosition()) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
     // zero out the mix for this listener
     memset(_mixSamples, 0, sizeof(_mixSamples));
 
@@ -244,12 +250,18 @@ bool AudioMixerSlave::prepareMix(const SharedNodePointer& listener) {
 
 void AudioMixerSlave::throttleStream(AudioMixerClientData& listenerNodeData, const QUuid& sourceNodeID,
         const AvatarAudioStream& listeningNodeStream, const PositionalAudioStream& streamToAdd) {
-    addStream(listenerNodeData, sourceNodeID, listeningNodeStream, streamToAdd, true);
+    // only throttle this stream to the mix if it has a valid position, we won't know how to mix it otherwise
+    if (streamToAdd.hasValidPosition()) {
+        addStream(listenerNodeData, sourceNodeID, listeningNodeStream, streamToAdd, true);
+    }
 }
 
 void AudioMixerSlave::mixStream(AudioMixerClientData& listenerNodeData, const QUuid& sourceNodeID,
         const AvatarAudioStream& listeningNodeStream, const PositionalAudioStream& streamToAdd) {
-    addStream(listenerNodeData, sourceNodeID, listeningNodeStream, streamToAdd, false);
+    // only add the stream to the mix if it has a valid position, we won't know how to mix it otherwise
+    if (streamToAdd.hasValidPosition()) {
+        addStream(listenerNodeData, sourceNodeID, listeningNodeStream, streamToAdd, false);
+    }
 }
 
 void AudioMixerSlave::addStream(AudioMixerClientData& listenerNodeData, const QUuid& sourceNodeID,
diff --git a/libraries/audio/src/AbstractAudioInterface.cpp b/libraries/audio/src/AbstractAudioInterface.cpp
index 376ecddd34..3d813eafd7 100644
--- a/libraries/audio/src/AbstractAudioInterface.cpp
+++ b/libraries/audio/src/AbstractAudioInterface.cpp
@@ -49,6 +49,9 @@ void AbstractAudioInterface::emitAudioPacket(const void* audioData, size_t bytes
             audioPacket->writePrimitive(channelFlag);
         }
 
+        // at this point we'd better be sending the mixer a valid position, or it won't consider us for mixing
+        assert(!isNaN(transform.getTranslation()));
+
         // pack the three float positions
         audioPacket->writePrimitive(transform.getTranslation());
         // pack the orientation
diff --git a/libraries/audio/src/PositionalAudioStream.cpp b/libraries/audio/src/PositionalAudioStream.cpp
index f2c1b05ef7..49b34a894e 100644
--- a/libraries/audio/src/PositionalAudioStream.cpp
+++ b/libraries/audio/src/PositionalAudioStream.cpp
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include <glm/detail/func_common.hpp>
 #include <QtCore/QDataStream>
 
+#include <LogHandler.h>
 #include <Node.h>
 #include <udt/PacketHeaders.h>
 #include <UUID.h>
@@ -76,6 +77,19 @@ int PositionalAudioStream::parsePositionalData(const QByteArray& positionalByteA
     QDataStream packetStream(positionalByteArray);
 
     packetStream.readRawData(reinterpret_cast<char*>(&_position), sizeof(_position));
+
+    // if the client sends us a bad position, flag it so that we don't consider this stream for mixing
+    if (glm::isnan(_position.x) || glm::isnan(_position.y) || glm::isnan(_position.z)) {
+        static const QString INVALID_POSITION_REGEX = "PositionalAudioStream unpacked invalid position for node";
+        static QString repeatedMessage = LogHandler::getInstance().addRepeatedMessageRegex(INVALID_POSITION_REGEX);
+
+        qDebug() << "PositionalAudioStream unpacked invalid position for node" << uuidStringWithoutCurlyBraces(getNodeID());
+
+        _hasValidPosition = false;
+    } else {
+        _hasValidPosition = true;
+    }
+
     packetStream.readRawData(reinterpret_cast<char*>(&_orientation), sizeof(_orientation));
     packetStream.readRawData(reinterpret_cast<char*>(&_avatarBoundingBoxCorner), sizeof(_avatarBoundingBoxCorner));
     packetStream.readRawData(reinterpret_cast<char*>(&_avatarBoundingBoxScale), sizeof(_avatarBoundingBoxScale));
diff --git a/libraries/audio/src/PositionalAudioStream.h b/libraries/audio/src/PositionalAudioStream.h
index c5cfa1991e..4c48ea3386 100644
--- a/libraries/audio/src/PositionalAudioStream.h
+++ b/libraries/audio/src/PositionalAudioStream.h
@@ -43,12 +43,15 @@ public:
 
     bool shouldLoopbackForNode() const { return _shouldLoopbackForNode; }
     bool isStereo() const { return _isStereo; }
+
     PositionalAudioStream::Type getType() const { return _type; }
+
     const glm::vec3& getPosition() const { return _position; }
     const glm::quat& getOrientation() const { return _orientation; }
     const glm::vec3& getAvatarBoundingBoxCorner() const { return _avatarBoundingBoxCorner; }
     const glm::vec3& getAvatarBoundingBoxScale() const { return _avatarBoundingBoxScale; }
 
+    bool hasValidPosition() const { return _hasValidPosition; }
 
 protected:
     // disallow copying of PositionalAudioStream objects
@@ -75,6 +78,8 @@ protected:
     float _quietestTrailingFrameLoudness;
     float _quietestFrameLoudness;
     int _frameCounter;
+
+    bool _hasValidPosition { false };
 };
 
 #endif // hifi_PositionalAudioStream_h