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Headphone Test Left and right, balance, bass, treble and polarity

Put your headphones on, turn the volume down, and press Left. Press a playing test again, or Stop, to end it.

Headphones

Headphones on

Press Left: the sound should be in your left ear only.

Balance

Even

Move the slider until the noise sits in the middle of your head.

Bass

Treble

Go from low to high and note the last tone you hear. Raise the volume a little for the lowest tones, then lower it again.

Polarity

A should sit in the middle of your head. B should sound wide and hollow. If it is the other way round, one side of your headphones is wired backwards.

Sound around your head

–

The sound goes round once every 8 seconds, starting in front. It uses an average head, so front and behind are often hard to tell apart.

Cable crackle

While it plays, gently bend the cable near the plug and where it meets each earcup. Crackles or drop-outs point to a loose wire.

30%

This only scales the test sound. Your device volume still applies, so start low and turn up until it is clear but comfortable.

Which side is which

L and R are usually printed inside the headband or on the earcups. Earbuds often have them on the stem.

What it does not measure

Bluetooth delay and distortion. A web page cannot time sound reaching your ears, so it does not guess.

Every sound is generated in your browser. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.

How to test your headphones

Left and right

Press Left, then Right. Each should play in that ear only. If Left plays on your right, the headphones are on backwards or the channels are swapped in your sound settings or audio software.

Balance

Play the noise and move the slider until it sits in the middle of your head. Then turn the headphones round, left cup on your right ear, and do it again. If the slider ends on the same side both times, the headphones are uneven. If it moves to the other side, the difference is in your ears.

Bass and treble

Earbuds need a good seal in the ear to play the low tones, so press them in or try a different tip size. The highest tone you hear depends on your age as well as your headphones, so compare two pairs rather than reading it as a score.

Polarity and sound position

Polarity

Both drivers should push air the same way at the same moment. When one side is wired backwards, music loses bass and voices seem to come from around your head instead of from the middle. A and B let you hear the difference, since B flips the right side on purpose.

Sound around your head

The circle uses the browser's model of an average head. Heads and ears differ, so a sound meant to be in front can seem to come from behind, above or inside your head. That is normal with headphones and not a fault.

Bluetooth delay

This page does not measure it. A web page can only time how fast you react to a sound, and your own reaction time, which changes from try to try, would be mixed into the result.

Headphones not working? Check these first

  1. iPhone silent mode. On iPhone, the Ring/Silent switch also mutes web pages. Switch it to Ring, then press Left again.
  2. Output device. Sound may still be going to the speakers. On Windows, open Settings › System › Sound and choose the headphones. On a Mac, open Control Centre › Sound.
  3. Bluetooth. Check that the headphones are connected to this device and not still to a phone or laptop nearby.
  4. Plug. Push the plug in all the way. On a computer with separate pink and green sockets, use the green one. A headset plug with three rings carries a microphone and may need a combined socket or an adapter.
  5. Volume and mute. Turn the device volume up, and check that the browser tab is not muted.
  6. Another device. If the headphones are silent on every device, the headphones or their cable are the problem.

Headphone test FAQ

Why is one side of my headphones quieter?

Check the balance setting first: on Windows in the device's Sound settings, on a Mac under Sound › Output. Then clean the mesh over each driver, since earwax and dust muffle one side easily, and check the fit. Use the balance test above with the headphones turned round to see whether the headphones or your ears are uneven.

Why are my headphones so quiet on both sides?

Look for a volume limit first. On an iPhone, open Settings, Sounds & Haptics, Headphone Safety and see whether Reduce Loud Audio is on; many Android phones have a similar media volume limit. On a computer, the app's own volume can be low even when the system volume is high. Then check the hardware: lint in the headphone jack or a clogged earbud mesh muffles the sound, and studio headphones with a high impedance (250 ohms and up) need more power than most phones and laptops can supply.

Why can't I hear the high tones?

Hearing at the top of the range fades with age, so many adults hear nothing above 15 or 16 kHz even on good headphones. Some Bluetooth connections also leave out the highest frequencies to save data. Compare with a wired connection or another pair before blaming the headphones.

Why do my headphones crackle when I move the cable?

A wire inside the cable is breaking, usually near the plug or where the cable enters an earcup, or the plug or socket is dirty. Use the steady tone above and bend the cable bit by bit. If the crackle follows one spot on the cable, the cable is damaged. Detachable cables can be replaced.

Why is there no sound on my iPhone?

The Ring/Silent switch mutes web pages as well as ringtones. Switch it to Ring and press a test again. If it is already on Ring, check that the headphones are the active output in Control Centre.

Can this test Bluetooth latency?

No. A web page cannot hear what reaches your ears, so it could only time your reaction to a sound, and your reaction time would be mixed into the result. The page leaves this out rather than show a number it cannot measure.

Is a headphone test safe for my ears?

At a comfortable volume, yes. Start low, raise the volume slowly, and stop if a tone feels uncomfortable. Lower the volume again after the bass tones, because the same setting is much louder for middle and high tones.

Related tools

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