Speaker Test — Check Left and Right Channels
Test your speakers online in seconds. Play a tone through the left channel only, the right only, or both, run a full 20 Hz to 20 kHz sweep, and sit on individual frequencies to hunt down rattles and dead spots.
◀ Left channel
440 Hz tone — left only
Right channel ▶
440 Hz tone — right only
Single frequency tones
Start quiet. Pure tones sound louder and are harder on drivers than music at the same level.
How to test your speakers
Set your system volume to about 30%
Test tones are more fatiguing than music. You can always turn up.
Play the left channel, then the right
Confirm the sound comes from the side you expect. Swapped channels point to reversed cabling or a reversed system setting.
Play both channels together
A centred tone should appear to come from directly in front of you, not from one side.
Run the 20 Hz to 20 kHz sweep
Listen for the point where sound appears and where it disappears, and for any buzzing along the way.
Try individual frequencies
Use the buttons to sit on one frequency and locate a rattle or a dropout precisely.
What each test actually proves
The left and right tests prove two separate things at once: that each channel produces sound, and that the channels are not swapped. Swapped channels are surprisingly common and surprisingly hard to notice with music, because most mixes are broadly symmetrical. They matter for films and games where a sound coming from the wrong side is actively misleading.
The both-channels test checks your balance. With a mono tone playing through matched speakers at equal distance, the sound should seem to come from a point directly between them — an effect called the phantom centre. If it pulls to one side, either the balance control is off centre or one speaker is quieter than the other.
The sweep maps the usable range of your system. It is the fastest way to find the frequency where a cabinet starts to rattle, or where a driver gives up entirely.
What you should and should not be able to hear
| Range | What lives there | Typical reality |
|---|---|---|
| 20–60 Hz | Sub-bass, rumble, explosions | Only subwoofers and large speakers. Laptop speakers produce nothing here. |
| 60–250 Hz | Bass, male voice fundamentals, kick drum | Most desktop speakers start around 80–150 Hz. |
| 250 Hz–2 kHz | Body and clarity of voices and instruments | Everything reproduces this. A dropout here is a real fault. |
| 2–6 kHz | Speech intelligibility, presence | The most sensitive region of human hearing. |
| 6–12 kHz | Detail, cymbals, sibilance | Audible to almost everyone. |
| 12–20 kHz | Air, sparkle | Hearing rolls off with age. Many adults over 40 hear little above 15 kHz — this is normal. |
Losing the very top of the range is a normal part of ageing and not a speaker fault. Losing a chunk in the middle — say, a hole around 1 kHz — points to a genuine problem with the driver, the amplifier or the cable.
Diagnosing common speaker problems
No sound at all. Before assuming a hardware fault, check the output device. Computers frequently route audio to an HDMI monitor with no speakers, to a Bluetooth device in another room, or to a headset that is not plugged in. Change the output device in your system sound settings and try again.
Only one side works. Try a different cable and a different source. If the fault follows the cable, it is the cable; if it stays with the speaker, it is the speaker or its amplifier channel. On a 3.5 mm connection, a plug that is not pushed fully home is the single most common cause of losing one channel.
Crackling or distortion. Distortion that appears only at high volume is usually the amplifier clipping — turn down. Crackling at any volume points to a damaged cone, a loose connection, or a wireless link struggling with interference.
Buzzing on specific notes. Play single frequencies with the buttons above and find the exact one that triggers it. Very often the buzz turns out to be a nearby object resonating rather than the speaker itself — a picture frame, a coin on the desk, a loose panel on the cabinet.
Speakers or headphones?
If you are testing headphones, the dedicated headphone test covers the same ground with checks that only make sense for headphones — such as confirming that both earcups match in level, which is far easier to hear than with speakers in a room.
More device tests
Microphone Test
Check that your mic is heard, at the right level, with no distortion.
Webcam Test
See your camera live, read its resolution and frame rate, take a snapshot.
Headphone Test
Verify both earcups, check stereo wiring and hear a frequency sweep.
Keyboard Test
Find dead, stuck or ghosting keys on a live on-screen keyboard.
Mouse Test
Test every button, the scroll wheel and cursor tracking.
Click Speed Test
Measure your clicks per second over 5, 10, 30 or 60 seconds.
Double Click Test
Detect a failing mouse switch that registers one click as two.
Dead Pixel Test
Full-screen solid colours that reveal dead and stuck pixels.
Speaker test FAQ
How do I know if my speakers are wired correctly?
Play the left-only tone and confirm sound comes from the left side, then the right-only tone. If they are swapped, your cables or your system's channel configuration are reversed. If both play from one side, one channel is dead or the balance control is pushed to one side.
What is the frequency sweep for?
It plays a rising tone from 20 Hz to 20 kHz over 20 seconds so you can hear the usable range of your speakers or headphones. Note where you first hear sound and where it fades out; small laptop speakers typically produce nothing useful below 150 Hz.
I can't hear the low or high tones — is something broken?
Probably not. Small speakers physically cannot reproduce deep bass, and adult hearing normally rolls off above 15–17 kHz, earlier with age. Losing the extremes is expected; losing something in the middle is the sign of a real problem.
Is it safe to play test tones loudly?
Start at low volume and raise it gradually. Sustained pure tones are more stressful for a speaker driver and for your ears than music at the same meter reading, and very low or very high tones can damage small drivers at high level.
Why do I hear a buzz instead of a clean tone?
A rattle or buzz on specific frequencies usually means a loose driver, a resonating object near the speaker, or a damaged cone. Move objects away from the speaker first, then test at lower volume to see whether the buzz follows the frequency.
Does this work for headphones?
Yes, and the left/right test is more useful on headphones than on speakers because you can be certain which earcup should be playing. There is a dedicated headphone test page with extra checks.
Now test the other direction
Speakers out, microphone in. Check that people can actually hear you.
Open the microphone test