# Sound Test

> To test your sound online, turn your device volume down, press Left, Right and Both in the tool above, and check that each beep comes from the right place. If you hear nothing but the L and R bars move, the page is sending sound, so look at your device's output, volume or cable. It's free and there's nothing to install. This is a listening check: it can't measure decibels or test your hearing.

URL: https://kenerateai.com/sound-test
Publisher: Kenerate AI (https://kenerateai.com)
Last updated: 4 November 2026

## Key facts
- Tests: Left, right, both, balance, sweep, volume
- Beep tone: 440 Hz, 6 seconds per side
- Sweep: 20 Hz to 20 kHz over 20 seconds
- Volume steps: 5 steps at 1 kHz, from -40 dB to 0 dB
- Channels: Stereo only, no surround
- Privacy: Tones made on your device, no microphone
- Cost: Free, no account
- Demo "Crate Digger" (Boom-bap, MiniMax Music 3.0): prompt: Classic boom-bap hip-hop beat, dusty kick and snare, chopped soul sample, deep bass, head-nod groove, 90 bpm
- Demo "Rio Afternoon" (Bossa nova, Ken Music 1.5): prompt: Bossa nova, nylon-string guitar, soft brushes, flute melody, warm and breezy, Rio beach afternoon, 124 bpm
- Demo "Hands Up" (EDM, MiniMax Music 3.0): prompt: Big-room EDM festival track, huge build-up, massive drop with punchy kick and lead synth, crowd energy, 128 bpm

## Steps
1. Turn your volume down — Set your device volume low and leave the test volume at 40%. You can raise either one once you hear a tone.
2. Press Left, then Right — Each one beeps for 6 seconds on one side. Check that the sound comes from that side only.
3. Press Both and Balance — Both should sound centred. Balance should move across smoothly and come back.
4. Press Sweep and Volume — Sweep rises from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Press Stop when you lose it to read the frequency. Volume plays five rising steps.

## In depth

### Why your sound isn't working: fix list
Press Both, watch the L and R bars, and work down this list. The first steps follow Microsoft's order for Windows [1], and the same ideas apply on other devices.
- Output device — make sure sound is going to the speakers or headphones you're using. It often stays on a monitor or an old Bluetooth device.
- Mute and volume — check the device volume, the browser tab and, on Windows, the Volume mixer, where a single app can be muted.
- Cables and power — check that the plug is fully in, the speakers are on and Bluetooth is connected.
- Audio enhancements — on Windows, try turning them off in the device's advanced sound settings.
- Driver — update the sound driver in Device Manager. If the sound broke after an update, roll it back.
- Audio services — on Windows, restart Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder.

### What the L and R bars tell you
The bars show the signal this page hands to your browser. If they move, the tone exists and the page is working, so the problem is further along: your output choice, your volume, your cable or your speakers.
If you press a test and the bars stay still, the browser isn't processing audio. Reload the page, or try another browser. The bars can't show what your speakers really play, so moving bars with no sound never means your speakers are fine.

### How to read the left and right test
Run Left and Right one after the other, then compare them:
- Each side plays only where it should — your stereo is working.
- The sides are swapped — check the L and R marks on your headphones, or the cables to your speakers.
- One side is silent — check the cable, the balance setting and your device's mono audio setting.
- One side is quieter — check the balance slider, then look for a dirty headphone mesh or a loose plug.
- Both sides play the same sound — mono audio may be on, or the output may be a single speaker.

### How to use the frequency sweep
The sweep rises smoothly from 20 Hz to 20 kHz in 20 seconds, spending the same time on each octave. Press Stop when you can't hear it any more, and the tool keeps the frequency on screen.
The commonly stated human range is 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and it usually narrows with age, starting at the top [2]. So a low top figure can come from your speakers, your ears or your volume, and this test can't say which. Listen for buzzing or rattling on the way up: it often points to a loose part in the speaker or something vibrating nearby.

### How the volume test works
Volume plays a 1 kHz tone in five steps of 10 dB, from -40 dB to 0 dB. Those figures are relative to the test volume slider. They aren't the level in your room, which depends on your device and speakers.
Count how many steps you can hear. If the first steps vanish, background noise or a low device volume is covering them. If the last step sounds rough or buzzy, your speakers may be distorting, so turn your device down.

### Keeping the volume safe
Start low and only turn up until you can hear the tone clearly. WHO advises keeping personal audio at or below 60% of maximum volume, and taking regular breaks [3]. High tones can be unpleasant at a level where you barely notice bass, so take care with the end of the sweep on headphones.
At 100%, the tool's top level is half of the digital maximum, and each test ends on its own. Your device volume still sets how loud that is.

### How the tones are made
Each tone comes from an oscillator in your browser's Web Audio API [4]. A stereo panner sends it left or right [5]. No sound file is loaded, nothing is recorded and no audio is uploaded.
We checked the output on 4 November 2026 in Edge on one Windows desktop at 48 kHz. With the tones rendered to a buffer, the opposite channel was exactly silent in the Left and Right tests, the beeps measured 440 Hz and the volume steps measured 10 dB apart. That checks what the page produces. We haven't measured real speakers, phones or other browsers.

References:
[1] Microsoft Support — Fix sound or audio problems in Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fix-sound-or-audio-problems-in-windows-73025246-b61c-40fb-671a-2535c7cd56c8
[2] Wikipedia — Hearing range: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_range
[3] WHO — Deafness and hearing loss: safe listening: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/deafness-and-hearing-loss-safe-listening
[4] MDN — OscillatorNode: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/OscillatorNode
[5] MDN — StereoPannerNode: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/StereoPannerNode

## FAQ
Q: How do I check if my sound is working?
A: Press Both in the tool at the top of this page. If you hear beeps, your sound works. If you hear nothing, look at the L and R bars: moving bars mean the page is sending sound, so check your device's output, volume and cable.

Q: Why is my sound not working?
A: The most common causes are the wrong output device, a muted device or app, or a loose cable. On Windows, Microsoft's steps start there, then move to audio enhancements, the sound driver and the audio services. The fix list on this page goes through them in order.

Q: How do I test left and right audio?
A: Press Left and check the beeps come from the left side only, then press Right. If the sides are swapped, check how your headphones or cables are connected. If one side is silent, check its cable and your balance setting.

Q: Why can I only hear sound from one side?
A: It's usually the balance setting, a mono audio setting, a damaged cable or a dead speaker. Swap the two speakers or the two ear cups if you can. If the silence moves with the speaker, the speaker is fine and the cable or the output is at fault.

Q: Can I test my speakers and headphones with this?
A: Yes. It works with whatever your device plays through, including built-in speakers, wired headphones and Bluetooth. It only tests two channels, so it can't check each speaker in a 5.1 or 7.1 system.

Q: Does this sound test use my microphone?
A: No. It only plays sound, so the browser never asks for your microphone. The tones are generated on your device, and no audio is uploaded.

Q: Why can't I hear the highest or lowest part of the sweep?
A: Both are normal. The commonly stated human range is 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and the top end falls with age. Small speakers also can't play very low notes, so laptop and phone speakers often stay quiet at the start of the sweep.

Q: Is this a hearing test?
A: No. It can't diagnose anything, because your device, your volume and your room all change what you hear. If you're worried about your hearing, see a hearing professional.

Q: Can this sound test damage my speakers?
A: Not at a sensible volume, but any speaker can be hurt by long, loud tones. The tool starts at 40% and each test ends on its own, within 20 seconds at the longest. Keep your device volume moderate, and stop if you hear distortion.

Q: Does it work on phones?
A: It should work in a current mobile browser, but we haven't measured phones. On an iPhone, also check the Ring/Silent switch, because it can silence sound played in a browser.

## Related pages
- Tap tempo: https://kenerateai.com/tap-tempo
- Reverse audio: https://kenerateai.com/reverse-audio
- Audio trimmer: https://kenerateai.com/audio-trimmer
- BPM & key finder: https://kenerateai.com/bpm-key-finder
- AI music generator: https://kenerateai.com/ai-music-generator

## Sources
- MDN — Web Audio API: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_API