Speaker Test

How to Use This Speaker Test

1. Turn your volume down. First, lower the volume, especially if you wear headphones.
2. Press Left. Next, listen: the sound should come only from your left speaker or the left ear of your headphones.
3. Press Right. This time, the sound should come only from the right.
4. Press Both (center). Then the sound should seem to come from the middle, between the speakers.
5. Use Auto. Finally, Auto plays left, right and both in a loop, so you can adjust your speakers or walk around the room.

The speaker test offers three sounds. The Chime is easiest to place, while the Tone is a steady 440 Hz beep. In addition, Noise covers all frequencies, which helps you hear a weak or crackling speaker.

Reading Your Speaker Test Results

Stereo sound uses two separate channels, left and right (see stereophonic sound on Wikipedia). Here is what your speaker test results mean:

• Left plays on the left and right on the right: your speakers are connected correctly.
• Left and right are swapped: the cables sit in the wrong sides, the speakers stand the wrong way round, or a “swap channels” setting is on.
• Both sides play the same sound: in this case, your system or app uses mono audio.
• One side is silent: a cable, plug or speaker on that side is faulty, or the balance points to one side.
• One side is quieter: so check the balance setting first, and then the speaker itself.

Speaker Test Problems and How to Fix Them

The speaker test plays on one side only

• Check the balance. On Windows, open Settings → System → Sound, select your output device and check the left and right volume sliders. On a Mac, likewise, open System Settings → Sound → Output and center the balance slider.
• Turn off mono audio. On Windows, go to Settings → Accessibility → Audio → Mono audio. On a Mac, go to System Settings → Accessibility → Audio.
• Check the plug. A 3.5 mm plug that sits halfway in often plays on one side only. So push it in firmly, and clean the jack if needed.
• Test the cable. Finally, gently move the cable near the plug while sound plays. If the sound cuts in and out, the cable is damaged.

Left and right are reversed in the speaker test

For desk speakers, swap the speakers or the cables. For headphones, check that you wear them the right way, and look for the L and R marks. In addition, some sound drivers and audio apps have a “swap left/right channels” option.

Crackling or distortion

First, play the Noise sound at a moderate volume. Crackling at low volume points to a loose cable or a damaged speaker. By contrast, distortion only at high volume is normal for small speakers. On Windows, turning off sound enhancements in the device’s properties can also remove crackling.

The speaker test plays no sound at all

First, check that you picked the right output device (speakers, headphones, monitor or Bluetooth). Then check that the volume and the browser tab are not muted. Finally, press a button in the tool again, because browsers only play sound after you interact with the page.

Speaker Test Frequency Sweep: Bass and Treble

The sweep plays a tone that rises smoothly from 20 Hz (very deep bass) to 20,000 Hz (very high treble), and it shows the current frequency on screen.

• Where the sound starts shows how low your speakers can go. For example, laptop speakers often start around 150 to 200 Hz, desktop speakers around 60 to 80 Hz, and a subwoofer can reach 20 to 30 Hz.
• Where the sound stops is often the limit of your hearing rather than the speakers. Most adults hear up to about 14,000 to 17,000 Hz, and this limit drops with age (see hearing range on Wikipedia).
• Rattling at certain frequencies means something in the speaker or the room vibrates, such as a loose panel or an object on the desk.

Keep the volume moderate, though. Very low and very high frequencies can sound quiet, so if you turn the volume up for them, the middle of the sweep can get loud.

Speaker Test for Polarity (Phase)

Every loudspeaker has a positive (+) and a negative (−) wire. If you wire one speaker the wrong way round, it is “out of phase”: its cone moves out while the other moves in. As a result, bass partly cancels out and the sound loses its center.

To check, press In phase, and then Out of phase. With correct wiring, “In phase” sounds full and centered, while “Out of phase” sounds thin and seems to come from everywhere. If they sound the other way round, swap the + and − wires on one speaker.

Frequently Asked Questions