Speaker & Headphone Test

Lower your volume, play each test and tell us what you hear. Run any test on its own, or follow the order from 1 to 7.

Start with your system volume at a comfortable, low level.

Loud sounds can damage your hearing. If you can't hear a tone, raise the volume gradually.

IdleNo sound plays until you press a test.

Channel test

Left channel only

Right channel only

Both channels

Frequency test

100 Hz

1 kHz

8 kHz

20 Hz → 20 kHz

Listen to how far down and up in frequency you can hear. Press the button when you stop hearing the tone.

What does this test check?

It checks whether sound plays through your speakers or headphones, whether the left and right channels both work, and whether you can hear tones at different frequencies. It can help you notice apparent audio problems, such as a channel that stays silent or channels that seem swapped.

Whether sound plays at all
Left and right channels, and whether they seem swapped
Low, mid and high tones, and a sweep from 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Apparent audio problems you can hear

This is a listening test, not a calibrated measurement.

What you hear depends on:

Your playback device (speakers or headphones)
Your volume settings
Your environment and background noise
Your operating system
Your browser
Your own hearing

Volume safety: loud sounds can damage your hearing. Keep the volume low, raise it gradually and avoid high volumes with headphones.

This is a perceptual listening test. It does not measure frequency response, sound level (dB SPL), audio quality, speaker power or distortion, and it cannot tell whether you heard a sound — only you can. Results depend on your playback device, volume, environment, operating system, browser and hearing.

The seven sounds and what each is for

The seven Speaker & Headphone Test sounds and what each helps you notice
Test	What plays	What it helps you notice
Left	A 440 Hz tone in the left channel only, for 1.5 seconds	Whether the left speaker or earcup works
Right	The same tone in the right channel only	Whether the right side works, and whether left and right seem swapped
Stereo	The same tone through both channels evenly	Whether the sound sits in the middle or leans to one side
Low	A 100 Hz tone for 2 seconds	Whether deep bass reproduces at all
Mid	A 1,000 Hz tone for 2 seconds	Whether the middle of the range is audible
High	An 8,000 Hz tone for 2 seconds	Whether high-pitched sounds are audible
Sweep	A tone that glides from 20 Hz up to 20 kHz over 10 seconds	Roughly where you stop hearing it

How to run it

Lower the volume first
The page generates the tones at fixed low levels, but your system volume decides how loud they are. Start low and raise it gradually.
Play each test and answer
After each sound, say whether you heard it. Your answers are collected in a summary, and you can run any test on its own or follow the order from 1 to 7.
Use the sweep to find your limit
While the tone glides upwards, press the button when you stop hearing it. The page shows the approximate frequency at that moment.
Optionally choose the output device
Some browsers let you pick which speakers or headphones play the sound. Otherwise the tones use your system's default output.

Reading your answers

What you might notice in the Speaker & Headphone Test, what it may mean and what to try
What you notice	What it may mean	What to try
Left is silent but right plays	One channel isn't reaching your ears: a cable, a plug, the connection or a balance setting.	Reseat the plug, check the balance in your system's sound settings and try other headphones or speakers. The guide on one side not working covers mono audio, balance settings and how to tell the headphones from the computer.
The left tone plays on the right and the other way round	The channels seem swapped: headphones worn the wrong way round, or a reversed setting or wiring.	Check which earcup is marked L and look at your system's channel settings.
The stereo tone sounds off-centre	A balance setting, or one side being quieter.	Reset the balance in your sound settings and compare with another device.
You don't hear the low tone	Small speakers reproduce very little bass, and a low volume can hide it too.	Raise the volume a little or try larger speakers or headphones.
You stop hearing the sweep early	That's the combined limit of the device and your hearing.	Try another device. Hearing at the highest frequencies varies between people and generally lessens with age, so not hearing near 20 kHz isn't unusual.

What this test can't tell you

It's a listening test: only you can say whether you heard a sound, so it produces your impressions, not measurements. The frequency shown during the sweep is approximate; it is worked out from how much of the sweep has played and doesn't account for delay in your audio device. It doesn't measure frequency response, loudness in dB, distortion or speaker power. System effects such as equalizers, spatial audio or headset software can change what you hear, and choosing an output device depends on browser support. The guide on what browser tests can and can't measure puts this in context.

What to do next

If a channel or a frequency is missing, run the same test on another device or with another cable to learn whether the fault follows the speakers, the cable or your computer. Keep the volume low with headphones, especially when you replay a sound. For the other half of a call, the Microphone Test checks what your computer hears and the Webcam Test checks the camera.

[ Audio ]Troubleshooting

One Speaker or Headphone Side Not Working: How to Find Where the Problem Is

One side silent, channels swapped or one side much quieter? Run TryYourGear's Speaker & Headphone Test to narrow it down to the device, settings or source.

Read guide

Methodology

What a Browser-Based Hardware Test Can and Can't Measure

How TryYourGear's 12 browser tests work: what each observes, what it can't measure and what result it gives, from key codes to refresh rate and latency.

Read guide

Try next

[ Audio & Video ]

Microphone Test

Free online microphone test. Check your mic's input level in real time, switch between devices, and record a short local playback — entirely in your browser, nothing uploaded.

Open test