Headphone test

How to test your headphones

1. Put your headphones on and connect them (wired, USB or Bluetooth). Turn the volume down to about 30–40%.
2. Press Test my headphones. You should hear a short tone in the left ear, then the right ear, then in both.
3. Tell the tool what you heard. It tells you whether both sides work, one side is silent, or left and right are swapped, and what to try next.
4. Then use the bass sweep (20–200 Hz) and the full 20 Hz–20 kHz sweep to check low and high frequencies, and the pink noise test to listen for rattles.

Everything is generated in your browser. Nothing is uploaded and no microphone is used.

What each test tells you

• Left / right test: finds a dead channel, a swapped pair, or a cable that is not fully plugged in.
• Bass sweep: a slow tone from 20 Hz upward. Most headphones start to be audible somewhere between 30 and 60 Hz; small earbuds usually start higher. Rattling or buzzing at one frequency points to a damaged driver or a loose ear-cup.
• Full sweep (20 Hz–20 kHz): listen for gaps, sudden drops in volume or distortion. Few adults hear above 16 kHz, so a tone that fades near the top is normal.
• Pink and white noise: an even hiss. If one ear sounds quieter or duller than the other, the drivers or the ear tips are not matched (or one is blocked with wax or lint).
• In phase / out of phase: in phase, the tone sounds centred in your head; out of phase it feels wide and vague. If the two sound identical, you are probably listening in mono.

Common headphone problems and fixes

• One side quieter or silent: clean the mesh with a dry soft brush, fit the earbud tip properly, and push a wired plug in all the way. Try another device to see if the headphones or the phone is at fault.
• iPhone / iPad: open Settings › Accessibility › Audio & Visual and check that the Balance slider is centred and Mono Audio is off. Turn Silent mode off so web audio is not muted.
• Android: check Mono audio and the balance in Accessibility settings, and raise the Media volume (not the ringer volume).
• Windows: Settings › System › Sound › your headphones › Properties; make sure the right device is the output and the balance levels are equal.
• Mac: System Settings › Sound › Output › your headphones; the Balance slider must sit in the middle.
• Bluetooth: if you hear nothing, check that the headphones are the selected output, not a speaker or car that is still connected. Delay or stutter usually means interference or a low battery; move closer and disconnect other Bluetooth devices.
• Crackling: try a different cable or port; for Bluetooth, update the headphone firmware.

Frequently asked questions

How do I test if my headphones are working?

Press the test button and listen. A working pair plays a tone in the left ear, then the right ear, then both. If one tone is missing, that side has a problem.

Why does one earbud sound quieter?

The most common reasons are a blocked mesh, a loose ear tip, the balance setting on your device, or a failing driver. The noise test above makes the difference easy to hear.

Can I test AirPods or Bluetooth headphones?

Yes. Connect them as usual and play the test: it uses the normal audio output of your browser. The tool also lets you pick the output device in browsers that support it.

Is it safe for my ears?

Start at a low volume and raise it slowly. The sweep includes very low and very high tones, which can seem quieter than they are.

Testing speakers instead? Use the speaker test.