How to test your speakers
- Turn your volume down low before you start.
- Play the left tone, then the right, and check each comes from the correct side.
- Play both together to hear them centred.
- Run the frequency sweep and listen for rattles, buzzing or gaps.
Checking left and right
Stereo sound relies on the left channel coming out of the left speaker. If they are swapped, music and films still play, but sounds move the wrong way across the room and game audio can point you in the wrong direction. Play the left tone and make sure you hear it only from the left, then do the same for the right.
With headphones, check the L and R marks on each side and put them on the right way round before testing. If one side is silent, try another cable or port, and with wired headphones, wiggle the plug gently. Crackling as you move it usually means a worn cable or a loose socket.
The bass to treble sweep
The sweep plays a smooth tone that starts deep and rises to high pitched. Small laptop and phone speakers cannot reproduce the lowest notes, so silence at the start is normal on those. On a speaker with a woofer, you should hear the bass come in.
Listen for:
- Rattles or buzzing at certain pitches, which can be a loose grille, a screw or something resting on the speaker
- Distortion or crackling, which may mean the volume is too high or the speaker is damaged
- Sudden drops in volume partway through, which can point to a faulty driver
Very high notes become hard to hear for many adults, so not hearing the very end of the sweep is common and does not mean your speakers are faulty.
Start quiet
Test tones are pure and can sound piercing, so start with the volume low and turn it up slowly, especially with headphones. All the sounds are generated on your device, so there is nothing to download, and the test is useful for new speakers, a new pair of headphones, laptop speakers or a soundbar connected to a computer.
Questions people ask
Why can I not hear the start of the sweep?
Small speakers in laptops and phones cannot play very deep bass. That is normal and not a fault.
My left and right are swapped. How do I fix it?
Swap the speaker cables or positions, check your headphones are on the right way round, and look for a balance setting in your computer's sound settings.
Is it safe for headphones?
Yes, as long as you start at a low volume. Test tones can sound harsh, so turn up gradually.
Do I need to download any sound files?
No. The tones are generated on your device as they play.