Find out in 20 seconds whether both speakers really play.
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Ready—
Turn your volume down to about 30% before you start.
LLeft speaker
Which speaker did it come from?
RRight speaker
Which speaker did it come from?
Keyboard: L and R play a speaker, 123 answer the one you just played, ? lists every shortcut.
Volume ramp
A 440 Hz tone that starts almost silent and grows for six seconds. Raise your system volume until it is comfortable, then stop.
Frequency sweep
A tone that climbs from 20 Hz to 20 kHz over fourteen seconds. Press the button the moment you stop hearing it.
Polarity
Both clips play the same 120 Hz tone through both speakers. The second one has the right channel flipped upside down. Sit between the speakers and listen for which one sounds fuller and more centred.
Which one sounded fuller and more centred?
This browser cannot play the test tones
The test needs the Web Audio API, which this browser does not provide. The fix guide below still works.
Works in Chrome · Edge · Firefox · Safari.
Finish the test to see your result.
What your result means
What you heard
Likely cause
Next check
Nothing at all
Wrong output device, muted mixer, unplugged or unpowered speakers
Play the left and right tones above and say which speaker each one came from. If a side stays silent the test says so and links a guide that walks through the output device, the volume mixer and the cable.
Why does only one speaker play?
Usually the balance slider has been dragged to one side, the wrong output device is selected, or one plug is not pushed in fully. A speaker that stays silent on a second device is faulty.
What does the sweep tell me?
It rises from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Small laptop and phone speakers usually fade out before 10 kHz, which points at the speakers. Stopping between 15 and 17 kHz is the normal limit of adult hearing, not a fault.
What is the polarity check for?
It plays the same tone to both speakers, once normally and once with the right channel flipped. If the flipped one sounds fuller, one speaker is probably wired the wrong way round, which thins out the bass.
Is this safe for my speakers?
The tones are quiet and fade in and out. Start the volume ramp at about 30% and stop it when it is comfortable rather than turning your system up first.
Updated 2026-09-23 · How we test · Category: Audio