Speaker & Headphone Test

Before blaming the music, check the speakers. Is the left channel really on the left? Does every speaker work? Do the headphones go as low and as high as they should? Is one speaker wired backwards? This page plays simple test sounds in the browser that answer those questions in a minute, with no files to download.

Left, right and both

Press Left only and the sound comes from the left channel for 1.5 seconds, with an L lit on the picture; Right only does the same for the right, and Both for both. The Left, right, both button runs them in turn, 1.5 seconds apart, and shows which one is playing. If you hear the left test on the right, the channels are swapped. If a test is silent, the channel or the cable is dead. If it is quieter or muffled, the speaker or an ear cup may be damaged.

A worked example

Press Sample, which runs the sequence. The label reads Left, then Right, then Both. Each plays for 1.1 seconds, spaced 1.5 seconds apart, with the default 440 Hz tone at a volume of 25 percent. With correct wiring, the first is heard only on the left side, the second only on the right and the third from both, appearing to come from the middle. Switch Sound from Tone to Pink noise to hear the same test with a noise that is easier to place in a room.

The frequency sweep

The sweep glides from 20 Hz up to 20 kHz over eight seconds on both channels. Listen for places where the sound drops out, buzzes or rattles. Small speakers fade out below about 50 Hz, and many adults cannot hear above 15 kHz, so it is normal for the ends to vanish. A buzz at a particular frequency can mean a loose panel or a damaged cone. The sweep tells you what you can hear, but is no measurement of the response. Lower the volume first: the extremes can be much louder than they seem.

The phase test

This plays the same sound on both speakers, with the right channel turned upside down for three seconds. With properly wired speakers the result is hollow, spread out and low on bass, because the two cancel each other in the middle. If it sounds solid and centred, one speaker is probably wired the wrong way round, which inverts it back. This matters with bare speaker wire and amplifiers; with ordinary plugged-in headphones, it is rarely a problem.

Volume and safety

The volume slider starts at 25 percent and stops at 60 percent on purpose, because pure tones and sweeps can be piercing. Set your system volume low before starting and raise it slowly. Stop if anything hurts. The tone frequency can be changed from 100 to 4,000 Hz; a mid-range tone is the easiest to localise.

Edge cases

Computers with more than two outputs are tested as stereo. Bluetooth audio can add a delay, so the first sound may be clipped. Some operating systems apply sound effects such as spatial audio or loudness equalisation, which change the result, so turn them off for the test. Speakers in a corner or on a shelf change bass without being faulty.

Limits

The page does not measure level or frequency response, and does not test surround or subwoofer channels separately. Sounds are generated on your device and nothing is recorded.

Related tools

• Tone Generator plays any single frequency or a custom sweep.
• White Noise Generator provides noise for longer listening.
• Sound Level Meter measures what the speakers produce.
• Speaker Placement Calculator positions speakers in a room.