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Speaker and headphone test

Check left and right, the full frequency range and the bass of your speakers or headphones, with sounds made right in your browser.

Turn your system volume down a little first. Sound plays only when you press a button.

This test runs in your browser and needs JavaScript. Turn JavaScript on to start it; the explanation and the checklist below work without it.

How to test your speakers and headphones

  1. Turn your system volume down a little, then press Start speaker test. Nothing plays before you press a button.
  2. Set the Volume slider. It starts low at −20 dBFS and goes from −40 to 0 dBFS. Raise it slowly; headphones get loud fast.
  3. Press Left, Right and Both. A soft chime repeats on the lit side until you press Stop sound.
  4. Try the sweep, the phase test, the bass tones and pink noise below, in any order.

All sounds are made by your browser on the spot. There are no audio files to download, and this test doesn’t need your microphone.

Left and right speaker test

With Left, you should hear the chime only from the left speaker or the left ear cup, and the big L lights up. Right is the same on the other side, and Both plays from the middle.

Frequency sweep: how high and low can you hear?

Play sweep 20 Hz → 20 kHz glides from the deepest bass to the highest treble over 10 seconds, with the current frequency shown live. Press I can’t hear it anymore when the tone disappears at the top, and we show the frequency where you stopped.

The result is your speakers and your ears together. 20 Hz to 20 kHz is the range usually given for human hearing, and the top end drops with age, so many adults stop hearing the sweep somewhere in the teens of kilohertz. That is normal. This is not a hearing test or medical advice. If you suspect hearing loss, see a hearing professional.

At the low end, small speakers stay silent for the first part of the sweep. Listen for buzzing or rattling as the tone passes through the middle: that points to a loose part in the speaker or something on the desk vibrating along.

Phase, bass and pink noise

Phase (polarity)

Play In phase, then Out of phase. In phase sounds centred and full. Out of phase should sound wider and hollow, with less bass, as if it came from around your head. If it’s the other way round, the plus and minus wires of one speaker are swapped. Fix it at the back of the speaker or the amplifier.

Bass tones

The buttons play steady tones at 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 and 100 Hz. Laptop and small speakers often can’t play 30–50 Hz at all; that’s normal. With a subwoofer, the low tones should come out clean and without buzzing. If a tone suddenly booms louder than its neighbours, your room is boosting that frequency; moving the speaker away from the wall or the corner helps.

Pink noise

Play pink noise (10 s) plays an even rushing sound with the same energy in every octave. It’s the quickest way to hear rattles, a torn cone, buzzing, or one side louder than the other.

Choose the output device

In Chrome and Edge you can pick the output right in the test: speakers, headphones, a monitor, a Bluetooth device. Some browsers show device names only after you have allowed the microphone once, for example on the mic test.

Other browsers, including Safari and Firefox, can’t switch the output from a web page. Switch it in your system instead: Windows: Settings › System › Sound › Output, macOS: System Settings › Sound › Output, and on phones the control centre or the volume panel.

No sound? Quick fixes

Checking a whole call setup? Run the webcam and mic test after this one. Every number is explained in how to read your test results, and app settings for Zoom, Teams and Discord are in mic and camera in meeting apps. Sound problems on Windows often go together with mic problems: see microphone not working on Windows. More tools: all device tests, including the webcam test.

Frequently asked questions

How do I test left and right speakers?

Press Start speaker test, then Left and Right. The chime should come only from the lit side. If it comes from the other side, the channels are swapped; if it comes from both, mono audio is probably on.

How do I know which side of my headphones is left?

Most headphones have an L and R mark on the band or inside the cups. Press Left in the test: the side you hear is the left one.

Why can’t I hear the bass tones?

Small speakers, laptops and phones physically can’t move enough air for 30–50 Hz. You may hear 80–100 Hz only. Headphones with a good seal and a subwoofer reach much lower.

What frequency range should I be able to hear?

The range usually given for human hearing is 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and the upper limit falls with age. The sweep shows where your speakers and ears stop together. It isn’t a medical hearing test.

What does the phase test tell me?

Whether both speakers push air in the same direction. Out of phase should sound wide and hollow. If In phase sounds that way instead, the wires of one speaker are swapped.

Does the speaker test need my microphone?

No. It only plays sounds and needs no permission. Some browsers show output device names only after you have allowed the mic once, but the test works without that.

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