This bass test plays steady low tones and slow sweeps so you can hear how deep your speakers, headphones or subwoofer really go, find the notes that boom or rattle, and check the bass is clean. Pick a tone from 200 Hz down to 20 Hz in third-octave steps, glide through the range with the sweep, mark rattles as they happen, or let Lowest tone step down to 10 Hz and record the last tone you heard. The scope draws the wave your browser is sending, and a scale shows where each tone sits. It works as a bass test for speakers, headphones, subwoofers, soundbars and car audio, in any current browser on a computer, tablet or phone.
How to use the bass test
- Start with the volume low. Raise it slowly until the 80 Hz tone is clearly audible but comfortable.
- In Tones, press each step from 200 Hz downward. Note where the sound fades, where it suddenly gets louder, and where it turns into a buzz.
- In Slow sweep, glide from 200 down to 15 Hz and press Mark at anything odd.
- In Rattle finder, set a normal listening level and press Mark rattle the moment anything buzzes. Then hold each marked tone to find the loose part.
- In Lowest tone, press I can't hear it as soon as the tone disappears.
- Press Copy results to save your lowest tone, rattle frequencies and sweep marks.
What the results mean
The lowest clean tone depends on the size of the speaker and the box it sits in. These are typical results at a normal listening level:
| Device | Typical lowest clean tone |
|---|---|
| Phone speakers | 200 to 300 Hz |
| Laptop speakers | 100 to 200 Hz |
| Small desktop speakers | 60 to 100 Hz |
| Bookshelf speakers | 45 to 60 Hz |
| Floor-standing speakers | 30 to 45 Hz |
| Home subwoofers | 20 to 30 Hz |
| Sealed earbuds and closed headphones | 20 Hz or lower |
| Open-back headphones | 30 to 40 Hz |
| Car subwoofers | 25 to 35 Hz |
The Tone now readout shows the frequency playing, Lowest you heard keeps your result, and Rattles marked lists every frequency where something buzzed. A tone that sounds buzzy or higher pitched than the step before is distortion, not bass: count the last clean tone.
Bass is weak or missing
- The speakers are too small for it. Below the sizes in the table, bass fades away and no setting brings it back. A subwoofer is the real fix.
- The headphones do not seal. Bass in earbuds and closed headphones depends on a seal. Try a larger tip or adjust the pads.
- Placement. Speakers pulled far from walls lose bass. Moving them closer to the wall behind adds bass, and a corner adds more.
- Settings. Check the equalizer in your music app, the laptop's audio app and the speakers' own bass knob. Bluetooth headphones lose most of their bass while an app is using their microphone, so close calls and voice chat or pick another mic.
- A subwoofer that is off or set too low. Check the subwoofer test for power, crossover and phase.
Some notes boom much louder than others
If one or two tones in the row sound far louder than their neighbours, your room is adding bass at those frequencies. Sound bounces between parallel walls and builds up where the distance fits half a wavelength: a 4 meter room builds up near 43 Hz, a 5 meter room near 34 Hz, and both again at double those frequencies. Move your seat or the speakers by 30 to 50 cm and test again, since the peaks change place. Thick soft furnishings in the corners help a little. A room correction system or an equalizer cut at the booming frequency helps most.
Rattles and buzzing at certain notes
A rattle is a part shaking at its own natural frequency. In a room, look for shelves, picture frames, window panes, lamps, loose speaker grilles and screws backing out of the speaker itself. The Rattle finder sweeps slowly from 20 to 200 Hz and records each frequency you mark, then Hold plays that tone non-stop while you touch things until the noise stops. A rattle inside the speaker that you cannot stop by touching anything outside it is a damaged driver: compare with the speaker test sweep on each side.
Bass distorts or the speaker crackles
Each speaker can only move so far. Ask a small speaker for deep bass at high volume and the cone hits its limit: you hear clicking, flapping or a harsh buzz. Turn the volume down, switch off bass boost and loudness effects, and if the speakers have a reflex port, a rushing noise from the port at loud low notes is normal. Distortion at a moderate level on a tone the speaker used to play cleanly means damage, usually a torn surround or a rubbing voice coil.
Testing bass on headphones
Headphones need much less power for deep bass, which is why good sealed earbuds reach 20 Hz while large speakers cannot. Run Lowest tone with the volume where you normally listen. If one side loses bass sooner than the other, that earbud is not sealing or its driver is weaker. To hear a deep tone on one side only, use Left and Right in Play through.
Testing bass in a car
Park somewhere quiet with the engine off. Set the head unit's equalizer flat and the bass at your usual level, then run the Rattle finder and walk around the car. Door cards, the rear shelf, the trunk lid, the number plate and the rear view mirror are the usual culprits. Foam tape, felt pads and sound deadening mats on large panels fix most of them. For a car subwoofer in a ported box, a subsonic filter around 25 to 30 Hz protects it from the very lowest tones.
What a bass tester cannot measure
A browser makes the tone but cannot hear your room, so it cannot measure loudness, frequency response or distortion. Your result also depends on volume: turn up and a quiet low tone becomes audible. For real measurements you need a measurement microphone and software such as Room EQ Wizard, or the calibration built into your receiver. Harmonic distortion can make a tone sound present when the speaker cannot really play it, so trust a clean, smooth tone over a buzzy one. To generate any frequency you like, use the tone generator, and for the full range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz use the frequency sweep test.
Bass test questions
What Hz is good bass?
Deep bass, the kind you feel in films and electronic music, sits between 20 and 60 Hz. Most music bass lives between 40 and 250 Hz. Speakers that play cleanly down to 40 or 50 Hz sound full, and a subwoofer that reaches 25 Hz covers almost everything recorded.
Why can I not hear the 20 Hz tone?
Your ears are far less sensitive down there. A 20 Hz tone has to be about 78 dB loud just to be heard, against about 26 dB at 100 Hz. Most speakers also stop well above 20 Hz, so silence at 20 Hz is normal unless you have a subwoofer or sealed headphones.
Can a bass test damage my speakers?
At a normal volume, no. Damage comes from playing deep tones loudly through small speakers, which pushes the cone further than it can travel. Stop and turn down at once if you hear clicking, flapping or a harsh buzz, and keep laptop and phone speakers quiet.
How do I test bass on headphones?
Make sure the earbuds or pads seal, then use Lowest tone. Sealed earbuds and closed headphones usually reach 20 Hz. Open headphones fade earlier, and a leaky seal can cost most of the bass. Compare both sides with the headphone tester sweep.
What are subwoofer test tones?
Steady low tones at set frequencies, usually third-octave steps from 20 to 200 Hz like the Tones row here. For checks of the subwoofer channel, the crossover and the phase switch, use the subwoofer test tones page.
Why does my car rattle when the bass hits?
Panels and loose parts vibrate at particular frequencies. Run the Rattle finder with the car parked, mark each rattle, then hold that tone while you press on door cards, the rear shelf, the trunk lid and the number plate until the noise stops.