Headphone Test
Check that your headphones, earbuds, or headset work. Play a chime in each ear, hear a sound circle your head, check that both sides are equally loud, and test how well your earbuds seal. Your browser makes every sound, so there is nothing to download.
Note: Put your headphones on and turn your device volume down first.
Left and right headphone test
Press a button to play a chime.
3D sound test
A pulsing sound circles your head: in front, to your right, behind you, then to your left. It should seem to come from around you, not from inside your head.
Not playing
Headphone balance test
Start the sound, then drag the slider until the sound seems to come from the exact middle of your head.
Then turn your headphones around (left side on your right ear) and center the sound again. If the quieter side moves with the headphones, the headphones are uneven. If it stays on the same ear, the difference is in your hearing or your ear canal.
Bass and earbud fit test
Plays a steady 60 Hz bass tone. Gently press the earbud or ear cup closer. If the bass gets much louder, the seal is poor.
About the headphone test
What the headphone test does
The headphone test plays sounds made for checking headphones. A chime on one channel at a time shows whether each ear works and whether you have the headphones on the right way around. A 3D sound circling your head shows how well your headphones place sounds. A balance slider measures whether one side is louder, and a steady bass tone shows whether your earbuds seal in your ears.
Why use our headphone test
- ·Free. No signup, no paywall, no limits.
- ·More than left and right. Check 3D sound, balance, and earbud fit on the same page.
- ·A number for balance. Instead of guessing which side is louder, see the difference in dB.
- ·Gentle on your ears. The test volume starts at 30%, and every sound fades in.
- ·Private. Sounds are made on your device. Nothing is downloaded or uploaded.
How to test headphones online
- 1
Put your headphones on and lower the volume
Wear your headphones the right way around (L on your left ear) and turn your device volume down. The Test volume slider starts at 30%, which you can raise once you hear the first sound.
- 2
Check the left and right ears
Click Play left, Play both, and Play right. The left chime should only be in your left ear and the right chime only in your right. Click Switch left and right to keep moving the chime from ear to ear.
- 3
Try the 3D sound
Click Start 3D sound. A pulsing sound circles your head while the dot on the diagram shows where it should be. It should seem to move around you rather than only from ear to ear.
- 4
Center the balance
Click Start balance sound and drag the slider until the sound is in the middle of your head. The readout shows how many dB quieter one side had to be. Turn the headphones around and do it again to see whether the headphones or your ears cause the difference.
- 5
Check bass and earbud fit
Click Play bass and gently press each earbud or ear cup closer. If the bass gets much louder when you press, the seal is poor. Pick Left ear or Right ear to compare the two sides.
Headphone problems and how to fix them
Match what you heard to one of these, then run the test again after each change.
- ·No sound in the headphones. Your computer may still be playing through its speakers. On Windows 11, pick your headphones under Output in Settings > System > Sound. On a Mac, pick them in System Settings > Sound > Output. On a phone, check that the earbuds are connected in Bluetooth settings.
- ·Every chime plays in both ears. Mono audio is turned on. On Windows 11, turn off Settings > Accessibility > Audio > Mono audio. On a Mac, turn off System Settings > Accessibility > Audio > Play stereo audio as mono. On an iPhone, turn off Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Mono Audio. On Android, look for Mono audio in Accessibility settings.
- ·Bluetooth sound is muffled and mono. The headset is in hands-free mode, which some computers switch to when an app uses the headset's microphone. On Windows, choose the output named Headphones rather than Headset (Hands-Free), or use another microphone for calls.
- ·Sound in only one ear. Push a wired plug all the way in, or try another port or adapter. For wireless earbuds, put both in the case, close the lid, and reconnect. If the sound cuts in and out when you move the cable, the cable is damaged.
- ·One side is quieter. Clean the mesh on the quiet earbud with a dry, soft brush, since earwax often blocks it. Check the fit with the bass test. Then check the balance setting: on a Mac it is the Balance slider in System Settings > Sound > Output, on an iPhone it is the slider under Mono Audio, and on Windows 11 it is the left and right channel volume in your headphones' settings under Settings > System > Sound.
- ·Weak bass. This is almost always fit. Earbuds and closed headphones need a seal to play bass. Try the next ear tip size up, or adjust the headband so the ear cups sit flat around your ears.
How to read the headphone balance test
The balance sound plays the same noise in both ears. Dragging the slider to the left turns the right side down, which moves the sound to the left. Dragging it to the right turns the left side down. When the sound feels centered, the readout tells you how much quieter one side had to be, in decibels (dB).
Small results of 1 or 2 dB are normal, since the exact center is hard to judge. Center it a few times to see if you land in the same spot. If you keep needing a larger number, find out where the difference comes from:
- Center the sound with the headphones on normally, and note the result.
- Turn the headphones around, so the left side is on your right ear, and center it again.
- If the quieter side switched (for example from "Right quieter" to "Left quieter"), the headphones are uneven. Clean them, check the fit, and check the balance setting on your device.
- If the same ear needs the boost both times, the difference is on your side: a poor fit in that ear, earwax, or a difference in hearing.
This is not a hearing test, and the numbers are not calibrated. If one ear seems weaker with every pair of headphones you try, talk to a doctor or audiologist.
How 3D sound works in headphones
With plain stereo, a sound can only move along a line between your ears. To place a sound in front of you or behind you, the 3D sound test uses the browser's HRTF (head-related transfer function) panner. It filters the sound the way your head and outer ears would for a sound coming from that spot, with small differences in timing, volume, and tone between your two ears.
The browser uses one standard head shape for everyone. If your head and ears are close to it, the sound seems to circle outside your head. If not, it may feel like it is inside your head or only moving from side to side. Sounds behind you are the hardest to place and are often heard as in front. That is normal for this kind of effect and does not mean your headphones are faulty.
Games use the same idea for positional audio, so if the left and right movement is clear here, your headset can place footsteps and other sounds in games too. This test does not use or check Apple spatial audio, Dolby Atmos, or Windows Sonic.
What this headphone test cannot check
- ·The headset microphone. This page only plays sound. Use the mic test to check the microphone on your headset.
- ·Noise cancellation. The test cannot tell whether active noise cancellation is working. Turn it on and off near a steady noise, like a fan, and listen.
- ·Choosing the output device. Sound plays through whatever your device is set to use. Switch to your headphones in your sound settings first.
- ·Your hearing. The balance result shows what you hear, not a measurement of your hearing.
When to test your headphones
- ·After buying new headphones or earbuds. Check that both sides work, that the bass is there, and that the ear tips that came in the box seal well before the return window closes.
- ·Before gaming. In shooters and other games, footsteps on your left should sound on your left. The left and right test and the 3D sound test show whether your headset places sounds correctly.
- ·When one earbud sounds quieter. The balance test tells you how big the difference is and whether it follows the earbud or stays with your ear, so you know whether to clean, replace, or adjust something.
- ·When the sound cuts out on one side. Run Switch left and right and move the cable near the plug and near each ear. If the sound drops when you move it, the cable is damaged at that spot.
- ·Before a call or online class. Make sure your computer is sending sound to your headset and not your laptop speakers. Then check the headset's microphone with the mic test.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I test my headphones?
- Put your headphones on, turn the volume down, and click Play left, Play both, and Play right on this page. Each chime should only play in the ear it names. Then try the 3D sound, balance, and bass tests to check positional sound, whether both sides are equally loud, and how well your earbuds seal.
- How do I know which side is left on my headphones?
- Most headphones and earbuds have a small L and R printed inside the ear cup, on the band, or on the stem. To check by ear, click Play left. The chime should be in your left ear. If it is in your right ear, you are wearing them backwards.
- Why do I only hear sound in one ear?
- For wired headphones, push the plug all the way in and try another port. A half-inserted plug often plays only one side. For wireless earbuds, put both back in the case and reconnect them. If neither helps, check that the balance in your sound settings is not turned all the way to one side.
- Why is one earbud quieter than the other?
- The most common cause is earwax or dirt on the earbud's mesh, so clean it gently with a dry, soft brush. A loose fit on one side also costs a lot of volume, especially bass. Use the balance test, then turn the earbuds around and test again. If the quiet side moves with the earbud, the earbud is the problem.
- Why do my Bluetooth headphones sound muffled and mono on my computer?
- Your computer is probably using the headset's hands-free mode, which turns on when an app uses the headset's microphone. It plays low-quality mono sound. On Windows, pick the output called Headphones instead of Headset (Hands-Free) in Settings > System > Sound, or use a different microphone.
- Why does the 3D sound seem to come only from the front or from inside my head?
- The browser makes the 3D effect with a standard head shape, not yours, so some people hear it less clearly. Sounds behind you are the hardest to place and are often heard as in front. Left and right movement should still be clear. If it only ever comes from the middle, mono audio may be turned on.
- Is this the same as spatial audio or Dolby Atmos?
- No. This test makes its own 3D effect in your browser and works with any stereo headphones. It does not turn on or test Apple spatial audio, Dolby Atmos, or Windows Sonic.
- How do I know if my earbuds fit properly?
- Play the 60 Hz bass tone and gently press each earbud further in. If the bass gets much louder, the earbud is not sealing on its own. Try a larger ear tip or a different angle until pressing makes little difference. AirPods Pro also have an Ear Tip Fit Test in their settings on iPhone.
- Can I use this headphone test as a hearing test?
- No. It can show that one side sounds quieter to you, but it is not calibrated, so it cannot measure your hearing. If one ear seems weaker no matter which headphones you use, see a doctor or audiologist.
- Is anything downloaded or uploaded?
- No. Your browser makes every test sound on your own device, so there are no audio files to download and nothing is sent to a server.