AUDIO CHECK
Speaker test
Check that your speakers or headphones are wired and working: left and right channels, phase, bass response, the full frequency range, and a noise test for rattles.
You should hear: A tone from the left speaker or earcup only.
A fault sounds like: Coming from the right: cables or headphones are swapped. Centered: mono audio or balance is set in your system settings.
You should hear: A tone from the right speaker or earcup only.
A fault sounds like: Silent: check the cable and the balance setting.
You should hear: The tone sits in the middle, between the speakers.
A fault sounds like: Pulled to one side: the speakers are at different volumes or one is further away.
You should hear: First solid and centered (in phase), then thin and hard to place (one channel inverted).
A fault sounds like: If the first part sounds thin and the second solid, one speaker is wired backwards: swap its red and black wires.
You should hear: A low hum that grows as it rises. Small speakers start around 80–150 Hz.
A fault sounds like: Buzzing or rattling at one pitch: a loose panel, a damaged cone, or something nearby vibrating.
You should hear: A tone gliding from deep bass to a very high whistle at a fairly even level.
A fault sounds like: A sudden drop or dip: the limit of the speaker (or of your hearing at the top).
You should hear: A steady waterfall sound, the same on both speakers.
A fault sounds like: One side duller: a weak or blocked tweeter. Crackling: a loose connection.
Test your speakers in three steps
- Connect the speakers or headphones you want to check and set a low volume.
- Press Left, Right, and Both to confirm the channels, then run the polarity check and the sweeps.
- Compare what you hear with the notes under each test to spot swapped channels, reversed wiring, or a rattling driver.
Left and right channels
Stereo needs two channels arriving at the right speaker. The Left and Right buttons play a short tone in only one channel, and Both plays it in the middle. If the left tone comes from the right speaker, your cables or headphone sides are swapped. If one side is silent, check the cable, the balance setting in your system sound settings, and any mono audio accessibility option, which mixes both channels into each ear and makes this test sound centered.
Polarity, or phase
Each speaker has a positive and a negative terminal. If one speaker is wired the other way round, the two cones move in opposite directions and bass cancels out. The polarity check plays the same sound twice: first in phase, which should sound solid and centered, then with one channel inverted. The inverted version should sound thin, wide, and hard to place. If the first version sounds like that and the second sounds solid, one of your speakers is wired backwards; swap the red and black wires on one side. This test needs two speakers or headphones and does not work on a single phone speaker.
Bass and full-range sweeps
The bass sweep glides from 20 Hz to 200 Hz. Small speakers stay silent until somewhere around 80 to 150 Hz, which is normal; subwoofers and good headphones should start much lower. Listen for buzzing or rattling at particular pitches, which points to a loose panel, a damaged cone, or something on the shelf vibrating along. The full sweep runs from 20 Hz to 20 kHz on a logarithmic scale so every octave gets equal time. The tone should stay roughly even in loudness; big dips or a sudden drop above a certain pitch show the limits of your speakers or your ears. For a precise high-pitch check, use the hearing age test.
Pink noise
Pink noise has equal energy in every octave, which makes it sound like a steady waterfall and makes it the standard signal for checking speakers. Play it on each speaker in turn: both should sound the same in tone and loudness. A speaker that sounds duller has a damaged or blocked tweeter, and crackling points to a loose connection. Pink noise is also handy for setting the levels of two speakers to match. Everything here is generated live in your browser; nothing is downloaded or uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
How do I test left and right speakers online?
Press the Left button and listen: the tone should come only from the left speaker or earcup. Then press Right. If they are reversed, swap the cables or check that your headphones are on the correct ears.
What does the speaker polarity check tell me?
Whether both speakers push air in the same direction. In phase sounds full and centered; out of phase sounds thin and hard to place. If the normal version sounds thin, one speaker is wired backwards.
Why can’t I hear the lowest notes in the bass sweep?
Small speakers, laptops, and phones physically cannot reproduce deep bass, so they stay silent below roughly 80 to 150 Hz. That is a limit of the speaker size, not a fault.
Is pink noise or white noise better for testing speakers?
Pink noise. White noise has equal energy per hertz, so it sounds harsh and hissy, while pink noise is balanced across octaves the way we hear, which makes differences between speakers easier to judge.
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