Speaker test (left & right)
Left, right, both — make sure every side speaks up.
⚠️ Turn your volume down before playing — test tones can be loud.
Pick a channel and listen to where the sound comes from.
How to test your speakers
This speaker test plays a tone through the left channel, the right channel or both, so you can confirm each side works and that the channels are not swapped — a common problem after plugging in a headset or reconfiguring audio outputs. A stereo sweep moves the sound from left to right to make the balance easy to judge. Turn your volume down before you start: test tones are steady and can be surprisingly loud on headphones.
- 1Turn your volume down to a low level before playing anything.
- 2Press Left and confirm the tone comes from your left speaker only.
- 3Press Right and check the opposite side, then try the stereo sweep.
- 4If a side is silent or swapped, check your cables and audio settings.
FAQ
The sound comes from the wrong side — why?
Wearing headphones backwards is the classic cause, so check the L and R markings first. On speakers, the cables are usually crossed. Software can also swap channels: look for a balance or channel setting in your operating system's audio options.
One side is completely silent. Is the speaker broken?
Not necessarily. Check the balance slider in your system's audio settings, try a different cable or port, and test another pair of headphones on the same output. If every source is silent on that side, the speaker or driver itself is the likely fault.
Does this work with Bluetooth headphones?
Yes, but expect a short delay before the tone starts, caused by Bluetooth audio latency. That lag does not affect the channel check itself — left should still play only in the left ear and right only in the right.
What tone does the test play?
A steady sine tone in the comfortable mid-range, played to one channel at a time, plus a stereo sweep that pans across both. Sine tones sound pure compared with music, which makes a weak, distorted or rattling speaker much easier to hear.