How to test your speakers
- Turn the volume down first. Set your system volume low and leave the Test volume slider at 50%. Raise it once you know the sound works.
-
Play each side. Press Left, then Right. The matching speaker lights up in the diagram, and the sound should come only from that speaker. Center plays both, so the sound should seem to come from between them.
-
Run the stereo sweep. The dot travels between the speakers, and the sound should glide smoothly from the left speaker to the right and back, without gaps or jumps.
- Check the bass. Press Bass test and listen as the tone falls from 120 Hz to 30 Hz. Note where it fades out and listen for rattles.
-
Sweep the full range. The 20 Hz – 20 kHz sweep shows the frequency and musical note live, so you can hear where your speakers — and your ears — start and stop.
-
Play a steady tone. In the Tone generator, pick a frequency or a preset, a waveform and Left, Both or Right, then press Play.
What each test checks
- Left / Center / Right confirms that no channel is missing or swapped. Pick a chime, a voice-like sound or noise as the test sound.
- Stereo sweep moves a sound between the speakers to check stereo imaging and balance.
- Bass test is a slow 120 → 30 Hz sweep for woofers and subwoofers.
- Frequency sweep plays every tone from 20 Hz to 20 kHz with a live readout and musical note.
- Tone generator plays any frequency from 20 Hz to 20 kHz as a sine, square, sawtooth or triangle wave, on the left, right or both channels.
- Polarity test reveals a speaker wired backwards, with its + and − wires swapped.
- Surround test plays each speaker of a 5.1 or 7.1 system when your browser can address them one by one.
- L Left
- C Center
- R Right
- S Stereo sweep
- Esc Stop all
What the results mean
- Sound comes from the wrong side: the left and right speakers or cables are swapped, or a “swap channels” option is on in your audio software.
- Left and Right both play from both speakers: mono audio is turned on in your accessibility settings, or the device has a single speaker, like many phones and Bluetooth speakers.
- The bass fades out early: normal for laptops, phones and other small speakers. Deep bass needs large drivers or a subwoofer.
- Rattling or buzzing at one point of the bass sweep usually means a loose panel, a nearby object vibrating or a damaged driver.
- The top of the frequency sweep goes silent: hearing naturally loses the highest frequencies with age, so it’s often your ears rather than your speakers.
- “In phase” sounds thinner than “out of phase”: one speaker is wired with + and − reversed. Swap the two wires on that speaker only.
No sound from your speakers? Fix it step by step
- Unmute and turn it up. Raise the volume on your device and on the speakers themselves, and switch powered speakers on. A crossed-out speaker icon on the browser tab means the site is muted — right-click the tab to unmute it.
- Choose the right output device. Windows 11: Settings › System › Sound › Output. Windows 10: Settings › System › Sound › Choose your output device. macOS: System Settings › Sound › Output. iPhone and iPad: open Control Center and tap the AirPlay icon on the audio controls. Android: tap the output button on the media controls in Quick Settings, and raise the media volume, not just the ringtone. ChromeOS: select the time, then the arrow next to the volume slider.
-
Check the status on the test. If it turns orange and says Sound is paused, your browser hasn’t started the sound yet. Press the button again. On iPhone and iPad, also turn off silent mode and turn the volume up.
- Check the cables. Push the plug fully into the headphone or line-out jack (usually green), or reconnect USB and HDMI cables. With a TV or monitor on HDMI, the sound comes from the screen, so turn up its volume too.
- Reload the page. After plugging in new speakers or changing the output device, reload this page so your browser picks them up.
Only one speaker works
- Swap the left and right speakers or their cables. If the silence moves with the speaker, that speaker is faulty; if it stays on the same side, check the cable, port or settings.
- Check the balance. Windows 11: Settings › System › Sound, select your speakers and check the Left channel and Right channel sliders. macOS: System Settings › Sound › Output › Balance.
- Turn off mono audio. Windows: Settings › Accessibility › Audio. macOS: System Settings › Accessibility › Audio. iPhone: Settings › Accessibility › Audio & Visual.
- Push a 3.5 mm plug all the way in — a half-inserted plug often plays only one side.
Bluetooth speakers
- Most single Bluetooth speakers are mono, so Left and Right both come out of the same box. Pair two speakers in stereo mode, if supported, to test channels.
- Bluetooth adds a short delay. The diagram follows the delay your browser reports, shown as Output delay.
- If the sound turns thin and muffled, an app may be using the speaker’s microphone, which switches Bluetooth to a low-quality hands-free mode. Close call apps and reconnect.
Surround test shows only two channels
-
The surround test can only play each speaker on its own when your browser reports six or eight output channels — for example Chrome or Edge on Windows with a sound card or AV receiver set to 5.1 or 7.1. On Windows, open Settings › System › Sound, then More sound settings (Windows 11) or Sound Control Panel (Windows 10), select your device, press Configure and choose 5.1 or 7.1. On a Mac, use Configure Speakers in the Audio MIDI Setup app. Then reload this page. Phones, tablets and most Bluetooth speakers are stereo only.
About this sound test
Every test sound is generated live in your browser with the Web Audio API. There are no audio files to download, and nothing is recorded or sent anywhere. It works with laptop and desktop speakers, soundbars, TVs over HDMI, AV receivers and Bluetooth speakers, on Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, Android and iOS in current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari. Testing headphones or earbuds? The Headphone Test has a balance check and a hearing range test made for them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I test my left and right speakers?
Press Left, then Right. Each sound should play only from that side. If it comes from the opposite speaker, the speakers or cables are swapped; if it comes from both, mono audio is probably turned on.
Why can’t I hear any sound?
Check that your device and speakers aren’t muted, that the right output device is selected in your system sound settings and that the browser tab isn’t muted. On iPhone and iPad, also turn off silent mode.
Why does only one speaker work?
Usually a loose or half-inserted cable, a balance setting pushed to one side, or a faulty speaker. Swap the left and right speakers: if the problem moves with the speaker, the speaker is at fault.
How do I test 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound?
Set your audio device to 5.1 or 7.1 in your system sound settings, open this page in Chrome or Edge and press Check for surround. If your browser reports six or eight channels, you can play each speaker on its own.
What frequency range should my speakers play?
People hear roughly 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Small laptop and phone speakers usually fade out somewhere below 100–200 Hz, while larger speakers and subwoofers go much deeper. Use the sweeps to hear where yours stop.
Can a sound test damage my speakers?
Not at sensible volume. Start quietly, and avoid long, loud bass tones on small speakers or loud high tones on tweeters, which can overheat them.