Each Side Plays On Its Own
The left and right drivers both work, and the sound never leaks into the wrong ear.
ChannelsFree online headphone tester for wired, wireless and gaming headphones. Check each side, the stereo balance, the bass and the full frequency range in your browser.
Play a tone in the left cup, the right cup or both. The sound should come only from the side you picked, at the same loudness on each side.
The tone moves from your left ear to your right ear and back. It should glide smoothly and sound centered in the middle of your head when the dot is in the middle.
The tone glides from low to high. Listen for crackle, rattle or a sudden drop, then press the button when you stop hearing it.
Deep tones show how low your headphones reach. A good seal gives a firm, steady hum. Buzzing or flapping means a loose part or a poor fit.
The sound circles around your head, quieter as it passes behind you. Good headphones make the path feel smooth and round, with no jumps between the ears.
A low tone plays in both cups, first together and then with one side flipped. In Phase should sound centered inside your head. Out Of Phase should sound wide and hollow.
Noise covers every frequency at once, so a rattle or buzz shows up fast. Many people also play pink noise for a few hours to break in new headphones.
A headphone test plays known tones through each earcup so you can hear whether both sides work, sit on the correct ear and sound the same. A good headphone tester also checks bass, the full frequency range and how well the two sides work together.
The left and right drivers both work, and the sound never leaks into the wrong ear.
ChannelsVoices sit in the center of your head instead of leaning toward one ear.
BalanceTones from deep bass to high treble play cleanly, with no dead spots or crackle.
20Hz to 20kHzLow notes come out as a steady hum, which also tells you the earcups seal well.
BassPanned and circling sounds travel smoothly, which matters for games and spatial audio.
8D SpatialBoth drivers push in step, so the sound feels full rather than thin and hollow.
PhaseThe full check takes about two minutes. Follow the steps in order the first time, then go straight to the test that matches the problem you hear.
Look for the small L and R marks on the band or the earcups, and wear L on your left ear.
Turn your device volume to about 30% and pick the headphones as your sound output.
Press Left, then Right, or use Auto Check. Each tone should reach only that ear.
Check the tone glides evenly across, then sweep from bass to treble for crackle or gaps.
Answer the four rows under Your Results to see where a fault most likely sits.
Seven tests in one place cover over-ear, on-ear, in-ear, gaming headsets and true wireless earbuds, including AirPods and other Bluetooth models.
Play each side on its own or let Auto Check run left, right and both in order. Pick any pitch from 20Hz to 20kHz and four wave shapes, and watch the live level meters to see which side receives the signal.
A tone glides between the ears at the speed you pick, with a balance offset to match a weaker side.
Sweep the full range or just the bass, mids or treble, and mark the point where the tone fades.
Hold any low tone to check bass depth, earcup seal and rattles at the bottom end.
Sound circles your head front to back, a quick way to judge positioning for games and films.
Compare in-phase and out-of-phase sound to spot a driver that is wired backwards.
Find buzzing parts fast, or run a burn-in session for up to an hour with Auto Stop.
Match what you heard to the row below. Each one gives the most likely cause and the first thing to try.
A loose plug, a broken wire near the jack, or a failed driver.
Push the plug all the way in, wiggle the cable near each end and test on a second device.
The headphones are on backwards, or the left and right channels are swapped.
Check the L and R marks, then look for a swap channels setting in your audio app.
The system balance is off-center, or one earbud is blocked by wax.
Center the balance slider in your sound settings and clean the mesh on the quieter side.
Mono audio is switched on in your system or accessibility settings.
Turn off mono audio, then run the Channels test again.
A poor seal around the ear, or small drivers that cannot reach very low notes.
Try larger ear tips or adjust the earcups, then repeat the Bass test at 60Hz.
Volume set too high, or a loose part that rattles at that frequency.
Lower the volume, sweep again and note where the crackle starts.
The headset switched to its hands-free call mode.
Pick the Stereo or Headphones output, not Hands-Free, in your sound settings.
It is quick, free and private, and it works with the headphones you already own.
Tones are made in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or recorded.
Open the page and test, with nothing to install and no account.
Every test is free, with no limit on how often you use it.
Works with wired, Bluetooth and USB headphones, earbuds and headsets.
Runs in any current browser on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and Chromebook.
Your answers turn into a clear next step instead of jargon.
Short answers to what people ask most when they test their headphones.
Put your headphones on with L on the left ear, set the volume to about 30% and press Left, then Right in the headphone test above. Each tone should reach only that ear. Then run the Balance, Frequency Sweep and Bass tests to check sound quality. The whole check takes about two minutes.
Most headphones print a small L and R on the headband, the inside of the earcups or the stem of each earbud. Press Left in the tester. If the tone plays in your right ear, you are wearing them backwards or the channels are swapped.
The usual causes are a plug that is not fully in, a broken wire near the jack, a balance setting pushed to one side, mono audio switched on or wax blocking one earbud. If the same side stays silent on a second device, that driver has most likely failed.
Yes. Connect them, choose them as your sound output and run the test as normal. On Windows, pick the Stereo or Headphones output and not Hands-Free, which lowers the quality. A short delay after you press Play is normal over Bluetooth.
Human hearing covers roughly 20Hz to 20kHz at best, and most headphones are rated for about that range. In practice the top end you hear depends on your age as well as the headphones, so the sweep test shows the combined limit of your ears and your gear.
Open the Bass tab and play 60Hz, then try 30Hz and 120Hz. Good headphones give a steady, firm hum with no buzzing. Weak bass often means a poor seal, so adjust the earcups or try larger ear tips before you blame the drivers.
The 8D test moves a tone in a circle around your head, louder in front and softer behind. It shows how smoothly your headphones move sound between the ears, which matters for games and spatial audio. It only works with headphones, not speakers.
The evidence is mixed. Measurements by reviewers usually show little or no change after burn-in, and many people find their ears simply get used to new headphones. If you want to try it, play pink noise at a normal listening level with Auto Stop set to one hour.
Keep the volume moderate. Loud tones, especially deep bass and very high pitches, can be uncomfortable and can harm your hearing over time. Start at a low level, raise it slowly and stop if anything sounds strained or hurts.
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. Turn off Silent mode on an iPhone and raise the media volume before you start, then plug in or connect your headphones.
Open the Balance tab and let the tone glide from ear to ear. When the dot sits in the middle, the sound should feel centered inside your head. If it leans to one side, center the balance slider in your sound settings and clean the quieter earbud.
Yes. Every test is free with no sign-up, and the tones are made inside your browser by the Web Audio API, so no audio is uploaded or recorded.
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