How to use the speaker test
This sound test is for speakers in a room: PC speakers, bookshelf speakers, a sound bar, a TV or a laptop. Turn your volume down to about a third first, sit where you normally listen, then play each test. Raise the volume once the first sound is comfortable. Escape or the Stop button ends any sound at once.
- Left and right: each sound should come from one speaker only, and centre should seem to float between the two. If left plays from the right, swap the cables or the speakers.
- Frequency sweep: a tone climbs from 20 Hz to 20 kHz in 20 seconds. Listen for buzzing, rattles or a sudden drop as it passes through the range. The very top is hard for many adults to hear, which is normal.
- Bass test: a tone rises from 20 to 200 Hz. Press the button when you first hear it to see how low your speakers go at this volume.
- Phase test: the same noise from both speakers, first in step, then with one side flipped.
- 5.1 surround: noise on each of six channels in turn, when the browser offers six outputs.
Wearing headphones instead? The headphone test checks each ear, the stereo image and your hearing range. Everything here runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
What the sweep and bass test tell you
Small speakers can't play deep bass: laptop and monitor speakers often fade out somewhere around 100 to 200 Hz, desk speakers go lower, and a subwoofer covers the deepest notes. A bass reading is about your speakers in your room at your volume, so it changes if you move them or turn them up. Speakers close to a wall or in a corner sound fuller in the bass.
During the full sweep, a buzz or rattle at one frequency often comes from something loose: a grille, a cable touching the cabinet, or an object on the desk or shelf. Play the sweep again and note the frequency on screen when it happens, then touch things nearby to find it. A crackle at every frequency points to a cable, a connector or a damaged speaker.
The phase test and swapped wires
Passive speakers connect with two wires each, marked + and −. If one speaker is wired the other way round, the two cones move in opposite directions and cancel each other, mostly in the bass. Sit between your speakers and play the phase test: in phase should sound solid and centred with full bass, out of phase vague and thin. If in phase sounds the thinner of the two, swap the + and − wires on one speaker.
Surround sound in a browser
The surround test only runs when your browser reports at least six output channels, and the tool shows the number it gets. Many browsers and systems mix everything down to stereo, even with a 5.1 or 7.1 system plugged in, and sound bars often take only stereo from a computer. In that case, use the speaker test in your system's sound settings or your receiver's or sound bar's own test tones, which reach each speaker directly.
Questions
How do I test my speakers?
Turn the volume down, play left and right to check each speaker, then the sweep and the bass test while you listen for buzzing or rattles. Turn it up gradually as you go.
Why do I hear sound from only one speaker?
Check the cable between the speakers, the balance setting in your system's sound settings, and mono audio in accessibility settings. If only one speaker plays in the left and right test, the problem is the speaker, its cable or the balance.
Can this damage my speakers?
At a moderate volume, no. Deep bass and high tones at full volume can strain small speakers and tweeters, so start low and stop if anything distorts.
Does it work on a phone or TV browser?
Yes, if the browser plays audio. On a phone, left and right only work with external speakers or a phone with stereo speakers held sideways.
Thinking of new speakers? Our best computer speakers and the speaker finder are a good start. To check how loud your room is, try the decibel meter.