This headphone test checks the things that go wrong with headphones and earbuds: a side that plays nothing, left and right swapped, one driver quieter or buzzing, a driver wired backwards, and a cable that crackles when it moves. Press an earcup in the drawing and a voice says "left" or "right" in that ear only. Then the sweep compares both drivers from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, the balance check measures any level difference in decibels, and the polarity check confirms both drivers move together. It works as a headphone test online with wired, USB and Bluetooth headphones, AirPods and other earbuds, and gaming headsets on Windows, Mac, Chromebooks, iPhone and Android.
How to test your headphones
- Put the headphones on the right way round and set the volume low.
- Press the left earcup, then the right one. Each name should play in one ear only.
- Open Polarity, play In phase then Out of phase, and answer which sounded more solid.
- Open Balance, play the center noise and center it with the slider.
- Open Sweep. Run it on Left, then on Right, at a comfortable level, and press Mark at any buzz or gap.
- Gently move the cable near the plug and where it enters each earcup while the sweep plays.
Keep the volume at a level you could talk over. The sweep and the high tones sound louder than music at the same setting, and hearing damage builds up without pain.
What the results mean
| Check | Healthy headphones | What a fault sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Left and right | Each name in its own ear only | Both ears, the wrong ear, or silence |
| Balance | Under 1 dB | 2 dB or more that follows the earcup when you swap sides |
| Sweep, low end | Both sides reach down to about 20 Hz on closed headphones and sealed earbuds | Buzzing, a rattle, or one side losing bass first |
| Sweep, high end | Both sides fade out at the same point | One side stops much earlier or crackles |
| Polarity | In phase is solid and centered | Out of phase sounds fuller |
| Cable movement | No change | Crackles or cuts out as the cable moves |
One side of the headphones is silent
- The plug. Push it fully in. A 3.5 mm plug that stops one click short plays one side. Phone cases often block the socket.
- A broken wire. Most cables break next to the plug or where they enter an earcup. Wiggle each spot while the sweep plays: crackling or the sound returning means the wire is broken there.
- Balance and mono settings. Check the balance slider and that mono audio is off. The left right audio test lists the exact menus for every system.
- Earbud batteries and links. One silent wireless earbud usually has a flat battery or lost its pairing with the other. Put both in the case for 30 seconds, then take them out together.
- A dead driver. If the side stays silent on a second phone or computer, the driver or the internal wiring has failed.
Sound cuts out or crackles
Crackling that follows cable movement is a wire fault, so replace the cable if it is detachable. Crackling without movement on Bluetooth comes from range and interference: keep the phone or computer in line of sight, move away from 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi routers and microwave ovens, and keep USB 3 devices away from the computer's Bluetooth antenna. On a computer, crackles that come and go with heavy load point to a driver problem, and turning off audio enhancements in the sound settings often helps. A drop on one specific note of the sweep, on one side only, points to a damaged driver.
Headphones sound muffled or have no bass
Bass needs a seal. Try a larger earbud tip, or check that glasses or hair are not lifting over-ear pads. Clean the mesh on earbuds with a dry brush. On a computer, Bluetooth headphones drop to a mono, muffled Hands-Free mode when an app opens their microphone, and Windows may list them twice: choose the entry called Headphones or Stereo. Check the headphones' own app for an equalizer preset or a bass setting turned down, and turn off audio effects in your sound settings to compare.
Headphones are not detected on the computer
Select the headphones in the output list (on Windows 11, the arrow next to the volume slider) and watch whether the name changes when you plug them in. Front panel sockets on desktop PCs need a cable inside the case to the motherboard, and Realtek's audio app has a front panel jack detection setting that can stop that socket switching over. A USB headset appears as its own device, so pick it by name. The headphone jack not working and headphones not working guides go through drivers and sockets step by step.
Testing Bluetooth headphones and AirPods
Bluetooth adds a delay of roughly 100 to 300 ms, so the voice arrives a moment after the earcup lights up. That is normal. If AirPods or earbuds connect but play nothing, remove them from the Bluetooth list and pair them again, and follow airpods not connecting to laptop for Windows and Mac specific steps. If an iPhone plays sound from both AirPods but the spatial effect seems wrong, the spatial audio test headphones page checks it.
Testing a gaming headset
Gaming headsets often add virtual 7.1 surround through their own app or Windows Sonic. Switch the layout here to 7.1: if the readout shows 8 outputs, each channel should appear in a different place around your head. If it shows 2, the headset is in stereo mode. Test the microphone with the headset test.
What a headphone tester cannot measure
A web page cannot hear what reaches your ears, so it cannot plot frequency response or distortion. Those need a measurement rig with an artificial ear. The upper end of the sweep is limited by your own hearing, which drops with age, so compare left and right rather than trusting one number. Fit changes bass more than anything else, so repeat the checks after you adjust the pads or tips.
Headphone test questions
How do I test if my headphones are working properly?
Check four things: each side plays only its own channel (press Left and Right), both sides are equally loud (Balance), both drivers sound clean across the sweep, and In phase sounds more solid than Out of phase. Passing all four means the headphones and their cable are healthy.
Why does only one side of my headphones work?
With wired headphones it is usually a plug not pushed fully in or a broken wire near the plug: wiggle it while the test plays. With wireless earbuds it is usually a flat battery or one bud that lost its link. Balance and mono settings can also silence a side.
How can I test my headphone microphone?
This page tests what you hear. To check the microphone of a headset, use the headset mic test, which records a short clip and shows the input level.
Why do my headphones sound muffled?
Earbuds lose clarity when the mesh is blocked with wax, and over-ear headphones lose bass when the pads do not seal. On a computer, Bluetooth headphones sound muffled when an app uses their microphone and they switch to Hands-Free mode. Close the call or voice chat, or pick another mic. On Windows 10, choose the Headphones entry instead of Headset in the output list.
Do new headphones need burning in?
Any change in the drivers is small and happens in the first hours of use. Most of what people notice is their ears getting used to a new sound. Run the sweep before and after if you want to compare. The headphone burn in page explains what changes.
Can I test a 7.1 gaming headset here?
Switch the layout to 7.1. If the readout shows 8 outputs, Windows is sending eight channels and the headset software should place each one around your head. The 7.1 surround sound test explains the headset settings.