Headphone Test
Put your headphones on and verify channels, panning, and balance in under a minute.
Ready
ReadyPanning check (headphones required)
The tone should travel smoothly between your left and right ears, one round trip every ~8 seconds. On speakers the position effect is weaker — that is normal.
Turn your system volume down first
Start at a low volume, especially with headphones and low bass tones, then raise it slowly.
Going further? Try the frequency sweep, or the noise generator for burn-in.
This tool runs locally in your browser — no audio is uploaded.
How to use
- 1
Wear them correctly
Put the headphones on and check the L/R marks on the earcups (usually inside the headband or on the earcup rim). Correct physical orientation matters for panning and for anything with direction in it.
- 2
Test each side
Play Left, then Right, then Both. Left plays a lower pitch only in the left ear; Right a higher pitch only in the right ear. Then run the panning check: the tone should travel smoothly from one side to the other.
- 3
Judge the result
Each side should be audible on its own at the same loudness. Panning should move smoothly without jumps. If one ear is quieter, clean the connector, try another source, and check the balance settings on your device.
How it works & limits
The channel buttons use the Web Audio API stereo panner to place a tone fully left, fully right, or center, with different pitches per side so your ears confirm what the screen says. The panning check drives the panner with a slow audio-rate LFO, moving the tone continuously between ears — a quick way to catch a dead driver or an unbalanced fit.
A quieter side is not always a broken headphone: earwax guards, worn cables, dirty connectors, and device balance settings all cause it. A/B with another pair before concluding hardware failure. The sweep and noise tools linked below probe frequency response and burn-in noise if you want to go further.
FAQ
One earbud is quieter than the other — is it broken?
Often no. Clean the mesh and earwax filter, check the cable and connector, and test the balance slider on your phone or computer. If one side stays quiet on every device, the driver or cable is likely at fault.
Why does the panning tone sound like it moves inside my head?
That is normal stereo perception: with two channels, the brain places the sound between the ears. The check verifies the movement is smooth and reaches both sides, not that it sounds external.
What is burn-in noise and should I use it?
Burn-in means playing pink noise at moderate volume for hours to loosen driver suspension. Effects vary by model and are debated; nothing here promises improved sound. If you try it, use the noise generator page with its timer and keep the volume moderate.
Do wireless earbuds work with this test?
Yes, over Bluetooth. Connect them, then run the same checks. Note that some earbuds apply their own stereo effects — turn those off in the companion app if the panning behaves oddly.
How is this different from the speaker test?
The controls overlap on purpose — channels work the same everywhere. This page focuses on headphone concerns: wearing orientation, per-ear balance, and panning, and links to sweep and noise tools instead of phase checks, which matter mainly for speakers.
Related tools
Left Right Speaker Test
Check that left really is left and right really is right, on speakers or headphones.
Open toolFrequency Sweep Test
Sweep 20 Hz–20 kHz with adjustable duration, direction, and linear/log scaling.
Open toolWhite & Pink Noise Generator
White, pink, and brown noise with a 15–120 minute timer for focus or sleep.
Open toolBass Test
Sine tones from 10–200 Hz with a descent mode to find your lowest audible/reproducible frequency.
Open tool