Headphone Test
Play a tone in each ear to check both sides of your headphones or earbuds.
Speaker Test
Play a test tone through the left speaker, the right speaker or both to check that each one works and is on the correct side. It works with laptop, desktop, phone and external speakers.
Lower your volume before starting, especially with headphones. Nothing plays until you press a button.
Stopped
Runs entirely in your browser. Test results, audio and video never leave your device.
How to test left and right speakers
- Set your volume low, then press Left. A pulsing tone should come from the left speaker only, and the L indicator lights up.
- Press Right: the tone should move to the right speaker. Then press Both: it should come from both, centered between them.
- Press Stereo to hear a steady tone glide from left to right and back every 4 seconds. The L and R indicators follow it.
- Press Auto to cycle through Left, Right and Both, 2 seconds each. It repeats until you stop it.
- To stop the tone, press the highlighted button again or press Stop.
What does a speaker test check?
A speaker test plays a sound through one channel at a time to confirm that each speaker works and is connected to the correct side. It checks routing, not sound quality: passing does not show how deep the bass goes or whether the speakers distort when loud. The Bass Test and the Audio Distortion Test cover those.
Why left and right sound the same
- The device has a single speaker, or mixes both channels into its speakers. Many small Bluetooth speakers and some laptops and phones work this way. To check that your computer or phone sends stereo at all, plug in headphones and use the Headphone Test.
- Mono audio is on. This accessibility setting mixes both channels together, so every speaker plays the same sound.
- Spatial sound, virtual surround or an audio enhancement is on. These can spread each channel across both speakers; turn them off in your sound settings for the test.
- The speakers sit close together, as on laptops and phones, so the two sides are hard to tell apart from a distance. Put your ear close to each side while the tone plays.
What to check when only one speaker works
- Press Left and Right, and note which side stays silent.
- Make sure the balance setting is centered. The Audio Balance Test lists where to find it on each system.
- Reseat or replace the cable, including the one between the two speakers if one of them powers the other.
- For two wireless speakers used as a stereo pair, check the pairing in their app.
- Play the test from another device. If the same speaker stays silent, the fault is in that speaker, its cable or its amplifier; if both work, look at the first device's settings, port or driver.
What this test can detect
- A speaker that stays silent when its channel plays.
- Swapped channels: the Left tone comes from the right speaker.
- Sound mixed to mono: Left and Right both play from every speaker.
- One side sounding clearly quieter, rough or crackly compared with the other.
- In Stereo mode, a tone that fades out or jumps as it glides toward one side.
How it works
The page generates a 440 Hz sine tone with the Web Audio API and pans it fully left, fully right or to the center. Left, Right, Both and Auto pulse the tone, 350 ms on and 250 ms off, so its position is easier to pick out. In these modes, each change of side fades the tone out, moves it while silent and brings it back on the next pulse, so it does not smear across both speakers. Nothing is recorded or measured.
Stereo plays the tone without pulses and pans it from left to right and back every 4 seconds. Volume starts at 40%. At the top of the Volume slider, a tone on one side peaks at half of digital full scale, about −6 dBFS.
Limitations
- Stereo only. The tone goes to your default output as two channels, so it cannot test the center, rear or subwoofer channels of a 5.1 or 7.1 system. A receiver that upmixes stereo may spread the tone to other speakers. To play each channel of a 5.1 or 7.1 system on its own, use the Surround Sound Test.
- Tweeters play little at 440 Hz, so a speaker with a dead tweeter can still pass. To check tweeters, play high tones on one side at a time in the Treble Test.
- Bluetooth speakers add a short delay, so the tone can start a moment after you press a button.
- Playback stops when the tab is hidden, for example when you switch tabs or minimize the window. Press a button to start it again.
Frequently asked questions
Which speaker is left and which is right?
The left speaker is the one on your left as you face the speakers. Press Left: if the tone comes from your right, the channels are swapped. Swap the two speaker cables or plugs, or swap the speakers' positions.
Why do I hear nothing at all?
Usually the sound is going to another output, or something is muted. The page plays through your system's default output, so choose your speakers as the output in your sound settings, then check the volume, the mute key and whether the browser tab is muted. On an iPhone, Silent mode can mute the tones on this page.
How do I test laptop speakers?
Unplug headphones and disconnect Bluetooth audio so the laptop's own speakers play, then press Left and Right with your ear near each side. Many laptop speakers fire downward, so test on a hard, flat surface. For a second-hand laptop, the guide to testing a used laptop covers the speakers along with the screen, keyboard and ports.
How do I test my phone's speakers?
Open this page on the phone, hold it sideways and press Left and Right. Many phones use the earpiece above the screen as the second speaker, so one side sounding quieter or thinner is normal. If both tones come from the same place, the phone probably has a single speaker.
Can this test tell if my speakers are out of phase?
No. The page plays no out-of-phase signal; the Speaker Polarity Test plays sound in phase and out of phase for you to compare. Or check the wiring: each speaker's + terminal, usually red, should connect to + on the amplifier, and − (usually black) to −. A reversed speaker typically makes centered voices sound vague and the bass thinner.