diff --git a/dlls/dsound/primary.c b/dlls/dsound/primary.c
index 830764a855d..f9720f89e7f 100644
--- a/dlls/dsound/primary.c
+++ b/dlls/dsound/primary.c
@@ -478,30 +478,35 @@ HRESULT primarybuffer_SetFormat(DirectSoundDevice *device, LPCWAVEFORMATEX passe
 	RtlAcquireResourceExclusive(&(device->buffer_list_lock), TRUE);
 	EnterCriticalSection(&(device->mixlock));
 
-	old_fmt = device->primary_pwfx;
-	device->primary_pwfx = DSOUND_CopyFormat(passed_fmt);
-	fmtex = (WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE *)device->primary_pwfx;
-	if (device->primary_pwfx == NULL) {
-		err = DSERR_OUTOFMEMORY;
-		goto out;
-	}
+	if (device->priolevel == DSSCL_WRITEPRIMARY) {
+		old_fmt = device->primary_pwfx;
+		device->primary_pwfx = DSOUND_CopyFormat(passed_fmt);
+		fmtex = (WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE *)device->primary_pwfx;
+		if (device->primary_pwfx == NULL) {
+			err = DSERR_OUTOFMEMORY;
+			goto out;
+		}
 
-	if (fmtex->Format.wFormatTag == WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE &&
-			fmtex->Samples.wValidBitsPerSample == 0) {
-		TRACE("Correcting 0 valid bits per sample\n");
-		fmtex->Samples.wValidBitsPerSample = fmtex->Format.wBitsPerSample;
-	}
+		if (fmtex->Format.wFormatTag == WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE &&
+		    fmtex->Samples.wValidBitsPerSample == 0) {
+			TRACE("Correcting 0 valid bits per sample\n");
+			fmtex->Samples.wValidBitsPerSample = fmtex->Format.wBitsPerSample;
+		}
 
-	if(device->priolevel == DSSCL_WRITEPRIMARY || device->nrofbuffers == 0)
 		err = DSOUND_ReopenDevice(device, TRUE);
-	if (FAILED(err) && device->priolevel == DSSCL_WRITEPRIMARY) {
-		ERR("No formats could be opened\n");
-		HeapFree(GetProcessHeap(), 0, device->primary_pwfx);
-		device->primary_pwfx = old_fmt;
+		if (FAILED(err)) {
+			ERR("No formats could be opened\n");
+			HeapFree(GetProcessHeap(), 0, device->primary_pwfx);
+			device->primary_pwfx = old_fmt;
+		} else
+			HeapFree(GetProcessHeap(), 0, old_fmt);
 	} else {
-		/* ignore failures */
-		err = S_OK;
-		HeapFree(GetProcessHeap(), 0, old_fmt);
+		WAVEFORMATEX *wfx = DSOUND_CopyFormat(passed_fmt);
+		if (wfx) {
+			HeapFree(GetProcessHeap(), 0, device->primary_pwfx);
+			device->primary_pwfx = wfx;
+		} else
+			err = DSERR_OUTOFMEMORY;
 	}
 
 out: