Speaker Test
A left right sound test for speakers and headphones. Turn your volume down before you start.
Pick a test. Nothing plays until you press a button.
Which side do you hear?
Listen without looking, then pick the side.
Bass, sweep and phase
How to test your speakers or headphones
- Lower your system volume, then press Both. Raise the volume until the beeps are clear but comfortable.
- Press Left, then Right. Each should play only from its own side. The speaker on the screen lights up to show which channel is playing.
- Try the quiz. Play a random side without looking and pick what you heard. It catches swapped channels that you might miss when you know what to expect.
What each test tells you
- Left and right: sound from the wrong side means swapped cables or headphones worn backwards. Sound from both sides means your system or a sound app is set to mono, which is common with accessibility settings on phones.
- Bass tones: 40 and 60 Hz check a subwoofer or headphones. Laptop and phone speakers rarely play below 100 Hz, so silence there is normal. A buzz or rattle at any tone points to a loose part or a damaged speaker.
- Sweep: a rising tone from 20 Hz to 20 kHz over 15 seconds. Listen for the point where sound first appears and where it fades. Dropouts or sudden loud spots in the middle show weak spots or room resonances.
- Phase: In phase sends the same tone to both speakers, Out of phase flips one of them. Correctly wired speakers sound solid and centred in phase and thin, wide or vague out of phase. If the out of phase tone sounds fuller, the plus and minus wires on one speaker are swapped.
Every tone fades in and out to avoid clicks, and all sound stops when you switch tabs or leave the page.
Questions and answers
How do I test left and right speakers?
Press Left, then Right. You should hear the beeps only from that side. If the sound comes from the wrong side, your cables or headphones are swapped; if it comes from both sides, your system may be set to mono.
What does the out of phase test do?
It plays the same tone in both channels, first normally and then with one channel inverted. Correctly wired speakers sound solid and centred in the normal test and thin and hard to place in the inverted one. If it is the other way round, one speaker cable is connected backwards.
Why can I not hear the bass test?
Small speakers in phones and laptops usually cannot play below about 100 to 150 Hz. If you cannot hear 40 or 60 Hz, that is normal for small speakers; headphones and subwoofers should play it.
Is the sweep safe for my speakers?
At moderate volume, yes. Start with your system volume low and raise it slowly. Very loud low frequencies can damage small speakers.