Tone Generator
Play a sine or triangle tone at any frequency from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, or sweep the range.
Treble Test
Play high tones from 2 kHz to 20 kHz to check that tweeters, headphones and earbuds reproduce the top of the range, and to find the highest tone you can hear on this device.
Lower your volume before starting, especially with headphones. Nothing plays until you press a button.
5 kHz
Hearing above 15 kHz fades with age. Not hearing the top presets is normal and says nothing about the speaker.
Presets
Waveform
Channel
Stopped
Runs entirely in your browser. Test results, audio and video never leave your device.
How to use the Treble Test
- Turn the volume low. High tones can sound piercing at modest levels.
- Press a preset such as 5 kHz, choose Left, Both or Right, and press Play.
- Step up through the presets and note where the tone fades or disappears. Type values between presets in Exact value (Hz) and press Enter; for tones below 2 kHz, use the Tone Generator.
- Press Sweep 2 kHz to 20 kHz to hear the range rise over 12 seconds, and press Stop when the tone vanishes. The frequency reached stays on screen; press Play to hear it as a steady tone.
What is a treble test?
A treble test plays high-frequency tones, roughly 2 kHz to 20 kHz, to check how well a tweeter, headphone or earbud reproduces the top of the audible range. The highest tone you hear depends on both the device and your ears, so the result describes that pair, not your hearing alone.
How high can you hear?
The top of human hearing is usually given as 20 kHz, and it falls with age: many adults hear little or nothing above about 15 kHz, including the 17 kHz and 20 kHz presets. That is normal and says nothing about the speaker.
Speakers, earbuds and wireless links often roll off before 20 kHz too. To tell which limit you reached, change one thing at a time, as in the table below: a second device for the same listener, or a second listener on the same device. This is not a hearing test; if you are worried about your hearing, see an audiologist or a doctor.
Why a high tone sounds quiet or missing
| Cause | How to tell |
|---|---|
| Your hearing | Someone else hears the tone on the same device at the same volume. |
| The speaker or earbud | Another pair of headphones or speakers plays the tone at the same setting. |
| A tweeter facing away from you | The tone gets louder when you sit in front of the tweeter: high frequencies leave a speaker in a narrower beam than low ones. |
| Bluetooth or other wireless audio | The tone comes back over a cable, or once no app is using the headset microphone. Some wireless codecs drop the highest frequencies, and call mode can cut everything above 4 or 8 kHz. |
| An equalizer or sound enhancement | The tone comes back after you turn the effect off in your system or headphone app settings. |
What this test can detect
- A tweeter, earbud or earpiece that sounds dull or silent at high frequencies.
- A difference in treble between the left and right sides, using Left and Right.
- Rough or buzzing sound at particular high frequencies.
- Equalizer, enhancement or wireless settings that cut the top of the range.
- The highest tone you can hear through this device at this volume.
How it works
The page generates each tone live with the Web Audio API as a Sine or Triangle wave; nothing is recorded or measured. The Frequency slider has 1,000 logarithmic steps from 2 kHz to 20 kHz, and Exact value (Hz) accepts any whole number in that range.
The sweep rises exponentially over 12 seconds, about 3.6 seconds per octave, and stops by itself at 20 kHz. Tones fade in and out over 15 ms so they start and stop without a click, and even at the top of the Volume slider the signal peaks about 9 dB below digital full scale.
Limitations
- Not a hearing test: there is no calibrated level, no score and no age estimate.
- The page cannot hear what your device plays, so it cannot tell whether a missing tone was cut by the speaker, the connection or your hearing.
- Keep the volume moderate. Loud high tones are tiring, can harm hearing and can overheat a tweeter, which handles far less power than a woofer.
- Playback stops when the tab is hidden, for example when you switch tabs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the mosquito tone?
A high tone near 17 kHz that many teenagers hear and many adults do not, named after a deterrent device that used it. Press the 17 kHz preset to play one. Not hearing it is common in adults, and it does not tell you whether the speaker plays it.
How do I play a 16 kHz or 18 kHz tone?
Type 16000 or 18000 in Exact value (Hz), press Enter, then press Play. Any whole number from 2000 to 20000 works, and the Frequency slider covers the same range.
How can I tell if a tweeter is blown?
A blown tweeter is usually silent at high frequencies, or much weaker than a working one. Play 5 kHz or 10 kHz, put your ear close to the tweeter (the smallest driver), and compare the two speakers with Left and Right. A silent tweeter, or its crossover, may have failed. For crackling or buzzing, use the Audio Distortion Test.
Why does a high tone change when I move my head?
Because high frequencies have short wavelengths: about 3.4 cm at 10 kHz. Sound reflected from walls and the desk adds up at some spots and cancels at others only centimeters apart. Keep your head still and face the speaker when you compare tones.