How to use the headphone test
- Put your headphones on the right way round (L on the left ear) and turn your device volume down.
- Press Play left, then right. Step 1 plays a sound on the left, then on the right. Answer the question below the buttons.
- Press Next to move through the sweep, bass, 3D sound and polarity steps. Each step has its own Play button and one question.
- Skip what you don’t need. The step tabs open any step directly, and switching steps fades out the sound.
- Read the Summary and press Copy result to keep a record, for example to send to the seller.
With the tool focused, P plays or stops the current step, N goes to the next step, Shift+N goes back, and Esc stops all sound. The full headphone sound test takes about two minutes, and no headphone tester or app is needed.
What the headphone test checks, and what it can’t
A headphone test plays sounds to each ear, across the frequency range and around your head, so you can confirm both sides work, the bass reaches low and the stereo image is right. This page runs five of those checks in one guided headphones test. Use it to test headphones when they’re new, after a repair, or when something sounds off.
A browser can’t measure how your headphones respond at each frequency. That needs a measurement rig with an artificial ear, the kind lab reviewers use. The results here are what you hear through your own setup at your own volume, so they also depend on fit, the source and the device. Nothing on this page says anything about anyone’s hearing.
For a left/right balance number in dB, use the stereo test.
Understanding your results
| Step | What a good result means | If not, try this |
|---|---|---|
| Left/Right | Each sound comes from its own side | Swapped: turn the headphones round. One side silent: re-seat the plug, try another cable or device |
| Sweep | A smooth tone with no crackles or dropouts | Note the frequency, try another source and cable; if the noise follows the headphones, check the warranty |
| Bass | You hear 40 Hz or lower (50–60 Hz is fine for earbuds) | Improve the seal: press earbuds in, try larger tips, adjust the headband |
| 3D sound | The sound circles your head, or at least moves side to side | Turn off Mono Audio and spatial audio, then try again |
| Polarity | A sounds focused in the middle, B sounds wide or hollow | If B sounds more focused, one driver may be wired backwards: contact the seller |
The overall result in the Summary is the most serious result from the steps you ran.
Earbuds test: seal, fit and Bluetooth
Most earbud problems are about the seal. When the tip doesn’t close off your ear canal, bass leaks out and the sound turns thin. During the 50 Hz bass tone, press each earbud in gently. If the bass gets much louder, try the next tip size up, and test each ear separately: many people need different sizes.
If one earbud is quieter or duller, clean the mesh with a dry, soft brush. Earwax on the grille is the most common cause of a “weak side”.
With one earbud in, phones mix both channels into it, so the left/right step sounds the same on both sides. That’s expected.
Bluetooth headsets switch to a hands-free mode when an app uses the headset microphone, such as a call or game chat. Sound turns muffled and the sweep goes quiet above about 4 kHz. Close those apps and run the sweep again. Also check that Mono Audio and the balance slider in your device’s accessibility settings are off and centered.
Testing AirPods
Open this page on the device your AirPods are paired with. Turn Spatial Audio and head tracking off for steps 1 and 4; they move the sound on purpose. AirPods Pro have Apple’s Ear Tip Fit Test in the AirPods settings on iPhone, which checks the seal with the built-in microphones. If a side stays silent or crackles, Apple Support can run a diagnostic for you. For a closer look at low bass, use the bass test.
Gaming headsets: 3D sound and the mic
Footsteps and gunfire only point the right way when left and right are correct, so run step 1 after every new headset or driver update. Step 4 shows whether the headset and the browser place sounds around you.
Virtual 7.1 software, such as a headset’s own app, Windows Sonic or Dolby Atmos for Headphones, can make a stereo headset appear as an 8-channel device. To hear each virtual speaker in turn, use the 7.1 surround sound test. To check the headset microphone, run the mic test.