Headphone Test

How to test your headphones

1. Turn your device volume low, connect your headphones or earbuds and put them on the right way round (look for the L and R marks).
2. Press Left ear. You should hear the tone only in your left ear. Then press Right ear, and Both, which should sound centered inside your head.
3. Press Left ↔ right pan. The sound should travel smoothly from ear to ear and back with no gap or jump.
4. Try the bass tones from 120 Hz down to 30 Hz, and the bass sweep. Note where the sound fades or starts to rattle.
5. Play In phase and then Out of phase. If "out of phase" sounds more centered than "in phase", one side of your headphones is wired with reversed polarity.

What the results mean

• Left and right are swapped: you are wearing the headphones backwards, or the left and right channels are swapped in software or wiring. Check the L/R marks first.
• Sound in both ears for the Left or Right button: your system is set to mono audio, or the headphones are in a mono or "spatial" mode. Turn mono off in accessibility settings and disable virtual surround while testing.
• One side quieter than the other: check the balance slider in your sound settings. If balance is centered, earwax in the mesh, a damaged cable or a failing driver are the usual causes.
• Bass fades at 50 Hz or 80 Hz: normal for small earbuds and open headphones, especially without a good seal. Try larger ear tips. Rattling or buzzing on the bass tones at a sensible volume points to a damaged driver.
• The pan jumps or has a silent gap: a loose connection or a cable that cuts out when it moves.

What the polarity (phase) test shows

Each headphone driver pushes air forward and back. If one driver is wired the other way round, it moves backwards while the other moves forwards, and your brain cannot place the sound properly. The in phase button sends the same rumble to both ears, so it should feel solid and centered. The out of phase button inverts the right channel on purpose, so it should feel wide, hollow and hard to locate. If your headphones make the two sound the other way round, they have a polarity fault. This is rare in new headphones but common in repaired or home-made cables.

Testing Bluetooth and wireless headphones

Bluetooth headphones work the same way here. Make sure they are connected as the output device, not just paired. If you use a headset with a microphone on Windows, choose the "Stereo" or "Headphones" output, not the "Hands-Free" one, which is mono and low quality. After this headphone check, you can test the built-in microphone with the mic test, or check any speaker with the general sound test.

Common problems and fixes

Only one side of the headphones works

Push the plug fully into the jack: a half-inserted 3.5 mm plug plays one side only. Clean the jack, wiggle the cable near the plug and the earcup while the pan plays to find a break, and check the balance slider (Windows: Settings > System > Sound > your device > Left/Right; Mac: System Settings > Sound > Balance). For true wireless earbuds, put both back in the case, reset them and pair again.

Headphones play mono

Windows: Settings > Accessibility > Audio > Mono audio off. Mac: System Settings > Accessibility > Audio > Play stereo audio as mono off. iPhone: Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Mono Audio off. Android: Settings > Accessibility > Mono audio off.

Weak or no bass

Get a better seal: try a larger ear tip or adjust the headband. Turn off any "bass reduction" equalizer preset, and on Bluetooth turn off battery-saving codecs. Weak bass that used to be strong can also mean a torn earcup cushion or a damaged driver.

Bluetooth headphones sound tinny

Your computer is using the hands-free (call) profile. Pick the "Stereo" output in sound settings, or close apps that are holding the microphone, such as a meeting app.