Speaker Test
Check that your speakers or headphones work. Play a chime on the left or right side, sweep a tone from deep bass to high treble, and check that your speakers are wired the same way. Your browser makes every sound, so there is nothing to download.
Turn your device volume down before the first sound.
Left and right speaker test
Press a button to play a chime.
Frequency sweep (bass and treble test)
A tone slides from low to high on both speakers. Note where the sound starts and stops, and listen for rattles or buzzing.
Speaker phase test
Play noise in phase, then out of phase. In phase should sound fuller and more centered. If out of phase sounds fuller, one speaker is wired backwards.
About the speaker test
What the speaker test does
The speaker test plays three kinds of test sound. A short chime on the left channel, the right channel, or both tells you whether each side works and whether left and right are the right way around. A tone that slides from low to high shows how deep and how high your speakers can go, and makes rattles easy to hear. Pink noise played in phase and out of phase tells you whether one speaker is wired backwards.
Why use our speaker test
- ·Free. No signup, no paywall, no limits.
- ·Exact left and right. Each side plays on its own channel, and the speaker on screen lights up so you can match what you see to what you hear.
- ·Bass and treble. Sweep the full 20 Hz to 20 kHz range, or only the bass or treble, with the current pitch shown as it plays.
- ·Phase check. Find a speaker with swapped wires without opening anything up.
- ·Private. Sounds are made on your device. Nothing is downloaded or uploaded.
How to test your speakers online
- 1
Turn the volume down
Lower your computer or phone volume before the first sound, then raise it once you hear the chime. The Test volume slider at the top sets how loud the test sounds are.
- 2
Play left, right, and both
Click Play left, Play right, and Play both. Each one plays a short chime. The left chime should only come from the left speaker or earbud, and the right chime only from the right. Click Switch left and right to keep moving the chime from side to side.
- 3
Run the frequency sweep
Pick Full range, Bass, or Treble, then click Start sweep. A tone slides from low to high on both speakers while the Frequency readout shows its pitch. Note where you first and last hear it, and listen for rattles or buzzing.
- 4
Check speaker phase
Click In phase, listen for a few seconds, then click Out of phase. In phase should sound fuller and more centered. If Out of phase sounds fuller instead, one speaker is wired backwards.
Speaker test results and how to fix them
Match what you heard to one of these, then run the test again after each change.
- ·No sound at all. Check the mute key and the volume, and make sure the Test volume slider is above zero. Then check where sound is going. On Windows 11, open Settings > System > Sound and pick your speakers under Output. On a Mac, open System Settings > Sound > Output. On an iPhone or iPad, turn off silent mode.
- ·Left and right are swapped. Play left comes from the right side. For headphones, check the L and R marks. For desktop speakers, swap the speakers or the left and right cables.
- ·Every chime plays from both sides. 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. A single Bluetooth speaker plays everything in mono no matter what.
- ·One side is quieter. 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. On Windows 11, open your speakers in Settings > System > Sound and set the left and right channel volumes to the same level. If the balance is even, try the other side's cable or earbud to see whether the problem moves with it.
- ·One side is silent. Push the plug all the way in, and wiggle the cable near each end while Switch left and right is running. If the sound cuts in and out, the cable is damaged. If one wireless earbud is silent, put both back in the case and reconnect them.
- ·Rattling, buzzing, or crackling. Run the Bass sweep at a moderate volume. A buzz at one pitch is often something loose nearby, like a shelf or a screw. A buzz from the speaker itself at many pitches can mean a damaged cone or driver. Crackling at every pitch is more often a bad cable or plug.
How to read a speaker frequency sweep
Frequency is how high or low a sound is, measured in hertz (Hz). People can hear from about 20 Hz, a deep rumble, up to about 20,000 Hz (20 kHz), a thin, very high whistle. The sweep spends the same time on each octave, so the readout moves slowly through the bass and quickly through the treble, which matches how we hear pitch.
- ·Full range (20 Hz to 20 kHz, 20 seconds). A quick overall check. Write down the readout when you first hear the tone and when it fades away.
- ·Bass (20 Hz to 200 Hz, 10 seconds). Good for subwoofers and for finding rattles. Small laptop and phone speakers often stay silent until about 100 to 200 Hz, which is normal for their size.
- ·Treble (2 kHz to 20 kHz, 10 seconds). Checks the tweeters, the small drivers that play high sounds. If one speaker goes quiet much earlier than the other, its tweeter may be damaged.
If the tone seems to jump in volume at certain pitches, that is normal. Every speaker and every room boosts some frequencies and cuts others. The top of your hearing also drops with age, so if the treble sweep goes quiet around 14 to 16 kHz, your speakers may be fine. Keep the volume moderate during the sweep, since very low and very high tones at full volume are hard on small speakers and on your ears.
What speaker phase means and how to fix it
A speaker makes sound by pushing its cone out and pulling it back in. When two speakers are in phase, both cones move out at the same time. If the red (+) and black (-) wires are swapped on one of them, that cone moves in while the other moves out. The two sounds partly cancel, the bass gets weak, and sounds that should come from the middle seem to come from nowhere in particular.
The Out of phase button flips the right channel on purpose, so you can hear what wrong wiring sounds like. Sit centered between your speakers and switch between the two buttons a few times.
- ·In phase sounds fuller. Your speakers are wired correctly.
- ·Out of phase sounds fuller. One speaker is wired backwards. Turn the amplifier off, then swap the two wires on the back of one speaker only, so red goes to red (+) and black goes to black (-) on both ends.
Speakers with fixed cables, such as most USB and Bluetooth speakers and all headphones, cannot be wired backwards by mistake, so this check is mainly for speakers you connect with bare wire.
What this speaker test cannot check
- ·Surround channels. The test plays stereo only. On a 5.1 or 7.1 system, it checks the front left and front right speakers, not the center, rear, or side speakers.
- ·Choosing the output device. The sound plays through whatever your computer or phone is set to use. To test another device, switch to it in your sound settings first.
- ·Exact measurements. The sweep tells you what you can hear, not a lab measurement of how flat your speakers are. That needs a measurement microphone.
When to test your speakers
- ·After connecting new speakers or headphones. Check that both sides play, that left and right are the right way around, and that the computer is sending sound to the device you just plugged in.
- ·When one side sounds quiet or silent. Play each side on its own to find out whether the problem is one speaker, one earbud, a loose cable, or a balance setting.
- ·When you hear crackling or buzzing. The bass sweep makes a loose part, a torn cone, or a rattling cabinet easy to hear, so you can tell which speaker is damaged.
- ·Before gaming or watching a movie. In games, footsteps and gunfire to your left should come from the left. A quick left and right check confirms your headset is not on backwards.
- ·When buying used speakers or headphones. Run all three tests before you pay. A blown tweeter shows up in the treble sweep, and a dead driver shows up in the left and right test.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I test my speakers?
- Turn your volume down, then click Play left, Play right, and Play both on this page. The left chime should only come from the left speaker and the right chime only from the right. Then run the frequency sweep to check bass and treble, and the phase test to check that your speakers are wired the same way.
- How do I know if my left and right speakers are swapped?
- Click Play left. If the chime comes from your right speaker or right earbud, the channels are swapped. For headphones, check that the L side is on your left ear. For desktop speakers, swap the speakers on your desk or the left and right cables, depending on which is easier.
- Why do I hear the left chime from both speakers?
- Mono audio is probably turned on. It mixes left and right into one channel, so every sound plays from both sides. It is in Accessibility settings on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android. A single Bluetooth speaker or a laptop or phone with one speaker also plays everything as mono.
- Why is there no sound at all?
- Check that your device is not muted, the volume is up, and the Test volume slider on this page is above zero. Then make sure sound is going to the right device, since computers often keep playing through built-in speakers after you plug something in. On an iPhone or iPad, turn off silent mode.
- What frequency range should my speakers play?
- People can hear from about 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Good speakers and headphones cover most of that. Small laptop and phone speakers often produce little or nothing below about 100 to 200 Hz, so silence at the start of the bass sweep is normal for them. A subwoofer covers the lowest part of the range.
- Why can't I hear the end of the treble sweep?
- The limit may be your ears rather than your speakers. The highest pitch people can hear drops with age, and many adults cannot hear much above 15 kHz. Try the sweep with someone younger. If they hear it and you do not, your speakers are fine.
- What does it mean if my speakers are out of phase?
- One speaker is moving outward while the other moves inward, so their sound partly cancels. Bass gets weak and the sound seems to come from no clear place. It usually happens when the red (+) and black (-) wires are swapped on one speaker. Swap them back on that speaker to fix it.
- Can I test 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound here?
- No. This speaker test plays stereo sound, so it checks the left and right channels only. A surround system will play the left and right test sounds from its front left and front right speakers.
- Does the speaker test work with headphones and earbuds?
- Yes. The left and right test and the frequency sweep work the same way with headphones, earbuds, and AirPods. The phase test is meant for speakers. With headphones, out of phase sounds odd and seems to come from inside your head, which is normal. Our Headphone Test adds checks made for headphones, such as balance between the ears and earbud fit.
- 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.