Headphone Test
Test your headphones or earbuds: left and right channels, phase, a 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency sweep and bass extension. Free, in your browser.
Volume warning: test tones start quiet. Raise the volume slowly. Loud tones, especially bass and high frequencies, can damage speakers and hearing.
How to test
- 01Turn the volume low before you start. Sweeps can be surprisingly loud at some frequencies.
- 02Check Left and Right first.
- 03Play the sweep and listen for rattles, buzzing or sudden drop-outs.
- 04Play the bass tones to see how low your headphones reach.
What the four checks show
- Left and right: each side plays only its own sound.
- Phase: in phase sounds centred inside your head; out of phase sounds wide and hollow.
- Sweep: a tone rising from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Listen for rattles, buzzing or sudden drop-outs, which point to a damaged driver or something loose in the housing.
- Bass tones: how low your headphones reach. Good over-ear headphones play 30–40 Hz cleanly; many earbuds fade below about 50 Hz.
This isn't a hearing test
What you hear depends on your headphones, your volume, your device and your ears all at once, so a page like this can't measure your hearing. Most adults stop hearing the sweep somewhere above 15–17 kHz, and many headphones roll off there too. That's normal.
If you're worried about your hearing, see an audiologist: a proper test uses calibrated equipment in a quiet room.
Headphones check out? Test your ear
With both sides playing cleanly, your headphones are ready for listening tests that need them. EarPitch's tone deaf test finds the smallest change in pitch you can hear, in cents, and its perfect pitch test checks whether you can name a note with nothing to compare it to.
What your result means
Smooth sweep, no rattles
Your headphones reproduce the range cleanly.
Nothing to fix.
Buzzing or rattling at some frequencies
A damaged driver, or something loose in the housing.
Compare with another pair; a rattle that's always at the same pitch points to the headphones.
One side quieter or dull
Wax or dirt in the mesh, a balance setting, or a failing driver.
Clean the mesh, check the balance, then contact the maker.
You stop hearing the sweep at high frequencies
Normal: most adults don't hear much above 15–17 kHz, and many headphones roll off too.
Nothing to fix. This isn't a hearing test.
How to fix it
Wireless earbuds
- Charge both buds and the case.
- Forget the device in Bluetooth settings, reset the buds (see the maker's instructions), and pair again.
- Clean the speaker mesh with a dry, soft brush.
Wired headphones
- Push the plug all the way in, and try another port.
- Wiggle the cable near the plug: crackling points to a broken wire.
Questions
Is this a hearing test?
No. It checks your headphones. What you hear also depends on your hearing, your volume and your device, so it can't measure your hearing.
Why can't I hear the highest frequencies?
Hearing above about 15–17 kHz fades with age for almost everyone, and many headphones roll off there too.
What should good bass sound like?
Good headphones play 30–40 Hz as a clear, deep tone. Many earbuds fade below about 50 Hz.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The test runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you see, say or film is sent to us or stored anywhere.