Headphone CheckFree · 60 seconds · no app needed
Headphone Test
Put your headphones on, set the volume to about half and press Play. Six short checks tell you whether left and right are correct, the sound is centred, and the bass and treble play cleanly.
Wear the headphones the right way round: the side marked L on your left ear.
Left ear
Did the beeps play in your left ear only?
Or run a single test
Works with wired, Bluetooth and USB headphones, earbuds and headsets.
How to test your headphones
Connect and set the volume
Plug in or pair the headphones and play nothing else. Set the system volume to about 50%. You can turn it up later, but test tones are loud at full volume and treble tones can be sharp.
Put them on the right way
Look for the small L and R marks on the headband, earcups or earbud stems. Wearing them swapped is the most common reason a left/right test "fails".
Run the guided check
Press Play, listen, then answer Yes or No. The light on the screen shows where the sound should be: compare it with what you actually hear.
Read your result
You get a score out of six and, for every failed step, a link to the page that explains the cause and how to fix it.
What each check tells you
| Check | What you should hear | What a problem sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Left / Right | Beeps in one ear only, on the correct side | Silence on one side (dead driver, battery, cable), the wrong side (swapped channels), or both sides (mono audio switched on) |
| Centre | One sound in the middle of your head | Pulled to one side: a balance setting, earwax on one mesh, or a weaker driver |
| Stereo sweep | A tone gliding smoothly between your ears | Jumps, gaps or crackle as it moves: a loose cable, a dirty jack or a Bluetooth dropout |
| Bass | A clean, rising hum from very deep to punchy | Buzzing or rattling at one pitch, or bass that vanishes: a loose part or an earbud that does not seal |
| Treble | A steady, thin high tone in both ears | Missing in one ear, much quieter on one side, or crackling |
| Phase | A hum that feels wide and hollow (this is intended) | If your normal music always sounds like this, one side is wired with reversed polarity |
Common problems and quick fixes
- One side is silent or quiet. Check the balance and mono-audio settings first, then clean the mesh and re-seat the earbud in its case. Step-by-step guide: one earbud not working.
- Left and right are swapped. If the headphones are on correctly, an app or driver may be swapping channels. The left and right audio test lists the settings to check on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android.
- Bass buzzes or rattles. Use the bass test to find the exact frequency. A rattle at one pitch is usually mechanical; distortion everywhere usually means the volume or an equaliser boost is too high.
- High notes are missing. Run the frequency sweep and note where the tone disappears in each ear. A big difference between ears is worth checking; a gradual fade above 15–16 kHz is normal for many people and many Bluetooth connections.
- Game audio has no direction. Try the 7.1 surround sound test to hear whether virtual surround is doing anything.
Wired, Bluetooth or USB: does it matter?
The test works the same with all of them, because it plays through whatever output your device is using. A few differences are worth knowing. Bluetooth adds a delay of 100–300 ms, so the light on screen can run slightly ahead of the sound; that is normal. Some Bluetooth headsets switch to a low-quality "hands-free" mode when an app opens the microphone, which makes everything sound thin and mono; this site never asks for the microphone, so if the sound is thin here, check that the device is set to the stereo profile. USB and gaming headsets may apply their own surround or equaliser processing, which can colour the bass and treble checks.
More headphone tests
Left right sound test
Left, right, centre, alternating and stereo sweep, plus a polarity check.
Low endBass test
Tones from 20 to 150 Hz and a bass sweep to find rattles and weak seals.
RangeFrequency sweep
20 Hz to 20 kHz sweep, single tones and a tone generator slider.
Gaming7.1 surround sound test
Virtual surround positions for headsets and real 5.1/7.1 speaker channels.
Frequently asked questions
How do I test my headphones online?
Open this page, put the headphones on with the L side on your left ear, set the volume to about half and run the guided check. It plays six short sounds and asks after each one whether it sounded right. The whole check takes about a minute and needs no download.
Why do I hear the left sound in both ears?
Mono audio is switched on somewhere. On iPhone look in Settings, Accessibility, Audio and Visual; on Android search Settings for "Mono audio" (it sits under Accessibility); on Windows in Settings, Accessibility, Audio; on a Mac in System Settings, Accessibility, Audio. Bluetooth headsets in hands-free mode can also play mono.
Does this test work for AirPods and other earbuds?
Yes. Any headphones that play sound from your phone or computer work: AirPods, Galaxy Buds, Pixel Buds, wired earphones, over-ear headphones and gaming headsets. For earbuds, a good seal matters a lot for the bass check, so try a different ear tip size if bass is weak.
Can a headphone test damage my headphones?
Not at normal volume. Test tones concentrate energy at one frequency, so avoid full volume, especially for the deepest bass and the highest tones. If anything sounds harsh or distorted, press Stop and turn it down.
Is this a hearing test?
No. It checks how your headphones play sound. Results depend on both the headphones and your ears, so if you notice a difference between your ears that is not explained by the headphones, talk to a doctor or audiologist.
Do you record any sound?
No. The tests only play sounds; this site never asks for microphone access. All tones are generated in your browser.