How to run the speaker test
- Start quiet. Set your device volume to about a third. You can always turn it up; a rattle that only shows up at full blast tells you less.
- Play the pink noise. It contains every frequency at once and sounds like steady rain. A healthy speaker gives a smooth hiss. Crackling, popping or a gravelly edge points to a problem.
- Check each speaker on its own. Press Left only, then Right only. One side should go quiet each time. If one speaker sounds rougher than the other, you have found the faulty one.
- Run the full-range sweep. The tone glides from 20 Hz to 20 kHz in 30 seconds. Press I hear a rattle each time something buzzes. The tool lists the frequency and the part of the speaker that usually causes it.
- Repeat a suspicious spot with the Bass, Mid or Treble tone and press gently around the speaker, grille and case. If the buzz stops when you touch something, that part is loose.
Speaker test audio: which sound shows what
| Sound | What it checks | Listen for |
|---|---|---|
| Pink noise | The whole speaker at once | Crackle, pops, a gritty or uneven hiss |
| Bass, 60 Hz | Woofer, cone movement, loose parts | Flapping, rattling, a distorted "fart" sound |
| Mid, 1 kHz | Voices live here | Buzzing, a raspy tone, one side quieter |
| Treble, 8 kHz | Tweeter or the top end of a small speaker | Hiss or crackle, or silence on one side |
| Sweep 20 Hz to 20 kHz | Every frequency in turn | Rattles at one pitch, sudden drops or gaps |
Small speakers can't play deep bass. A phone or laptop is often silent below 100 to 200 Hz, so a quiet start of the sweep is normal. Many adults also stop hearing the sweep somewhere between 15 and 17 kHz. That is your ears, not the speaker.
Blown speaker test: signs to look for
| What you hear | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Fuzzy or scratchy bass even at low volume | Torn cone or surround, or a damaged voice coil |
| Thin sound with almost no bass | Woofer partly blown, or a crossover fault |
| Buzz at one frequency only | Something loose: grille, screw, case, or an object nearby |
| One speaker silent, the other fine | Blown driver, broken wire or connector, or a balance setting |
| Crackle that changes when you move the cable | Cable or plug, not the speaker |
Before you blame the speaker, run the same speaker test online from another device. If the noise follows the speaker, the speaker is the problem. If it stays with the phone or computer, check its sound settings, cable or Bluetooth link.
iPhone speaker test and other phone speakers
For an iPhone speaker test, play the pink noise and hold the phone sideways. iPhones from the iPhone 7 on use the earpiece at the top as a second speaker, and many Android phones do the same. Cover one end with your finger, then the other: the sound should change each time. If one end stays silent or sounds muffled, the grille is often just blocked with lint or dust.
A phone speaker test also catches water. If the sound is muffled after the phone got wet, use our Speaker Cleaner to push the water out, then run this test again. Also check that Mono Audio and Balance are at their normal settings in your accessibility settings.
Laptop speaker test: test audio on computer speakers
To test audio on computer speakers, play the pink noise first, then switch between Left only and Right only. Most laptops have two small speakers under the keyboard or on the bottom edge, so a laptop speaker test is mainly about checking that both work and neither one crackles. Don't expect deep bass from them: the sweep often only becomes audible somewhere between 100 and 300 Hz. If the sound is wrong, check these settings before you blame the hardware:
- Windows: Settings → System → Sound. Pick the right output device and set the left and right levels the same. If the sound is distorted, try turning off audio enhancements for that device.
- Mac: System Settings → Sound → Output. Check the device and keep the balance in the middle.
- Bluetooth speakers: a weak link causes dropouts and crackle that sound like a fault. Test again close to the speaker before deciding it is broken.
For a stereo speaker test with a moving sound and a wiring phase check, use the Left Right Audio Test. For a subwoofer, the Subwoofer Test goes lower and slower.
How we tested this tool
We checked this speaker test in Google Chrome on Windows and in a phone-size browser view. To confirm what it actually sends to your speakers, we connected an analyzer to each output channel. With Left only selected, the left channel carried the full signal and the right carried none, and the reverse for Right only. The Bass, Mid and Treble buttons peaked at 59 Hz, 999 Hz and 8,001 Hz (the analyzer measures in steps of about 3 Hz). Ten seconds into the sweep the display read 198 Hz, against 200 Hz expected for a 20 Hz to 20 kHz glide over 30 seconds. We haven't yet logged results from specific speaker models. If you test yours, tell us what you found.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my speaker is blown?
Play the bass tone and pink noise at a medium volume. A blown speaker usually sounds fuzzy, scratchy or rattly on bass even at low volume, sounds thin with almost no bass, or makes no sound at all. If the noise only appears at very high volume, the speaker is more likely just overdriven.
Why does my speaker only crackle at one frequency?
Something resonates at that pitch. It can be a loose part inside the speaker, the grille, the case, or an object nearby such as a shelf or a picture frame. Mark the spot during the sweep, play it again and press around the speaker to find what is buzzing.
I can't hear the start or the end of the sweep. Is that a problem?
Usually not. Phone and laptop speakers often stay silent below 100 to 200 Hz, and many adults can't hear much above 15 to 17 kHz. What matters is a smooth sweep without crackle, buzz or sudden drops in the middle.
How do I test the two speakers on my iPhone?
Play the pink noise, hold the phone sideways and cover one speaker at a time with your finger: the sound should change each time. iPhones from iPhone 7 on use the earpiece as a second speaker. If one end stays silent, clean the grille gently and test again.
How do I test my speakers on a laptop or PC?
Open this page, set the volume to about a third and play the pink noise. Then press Left only and Right only: each speaker should play on its own without crackle. Finish with the full-range sweep and mark any rattle. If nothing plays, check that the right output device is selected in your sound settings.
Can this speaker test damage my speakers?
Not at sensible volumes. Start low and turn up slowly. Pure tones, especially deep bass and very high treble, carry more energy at one frequency than normal sound, so don't play them at full volume for long.