How to use the Speaker Test
- Set system volume low (about 30%) and put on headphones or face your speakers.
- Click Left, Right and Both in turn and confirm the sound direction; the matching side lights up on screen.
- Use the sweep from 20 Hz to 20 kHz to listen for distortion, buzzing or missing ranges.
- Compare in-phase and out-of-phase: with correct wiring, in-phase sounds fuller and centred while out-of-phase sounds diffuse with weaker bass.
If only one side plays
If the left or right channel is silent, make sure the plug is fully inserted and both Bluetooth earbuds are connected, check that system balance is centred, and turn off the Mono audio accessibility setting. Swapped channels usually come from speaker wiring or driver settings and can be swapped back in sound-card software.
What a sweep reveals
A sweep glides from low to high frequency. Bass (20–100 Hz) reveals woofer distortion and cabinet rattles, the midrange covers voices, and high frequencies above 10 kHz naturally become inaudible with age. A sudden drop or buzz in one range can mean a damaged driver or a resonating placement.
Phase (polarity) test
When the positive and negative leads of one speaker are reversed, bass cancels out and the sound becomes hollow and poorly located. The tool plays low-frequency noise in phase and with the right channel inverted; with correct wiring the in-phase version sounds more focused with fuller bass.
Frequently asked questions
How loud should the test be?
Start low and raise the volume until you hear clearly. Treble sweeps and long loud playback can harm hearing or speakers.
Can I test Bluetooth earbuds?
Yes. Connect both earbuds and make sure mono audio is off. Some Bluetooth headsets switch to mono in call (HFP) mode, so choose the stereo (A2DP) output.
Why is there no sound?
Browsers only play audio after a click. Also check that the tab is not muted, the system output device is correct and Bluetooth is not connected elsewhere.
What are sample rate and latency?
Sample rate is the browser’s audio output rate (usually 44.1 or 48 kHz). Latency is the browser’s estimate of output delay, useful for lip-sync and gaming.
Can I test 5.1 surround?
This tool focuses on stereo left/right. The browser reports the maximum output channels, but multichannel routing depends on the OS and player, so use your system’s surround test.