Online Sound Test – Check Audio Playback & Volume

• Before an online meeting, class or game.
• After connecting new speakers, headphones, a monitor or a TV.
• After a Windows/macOS update or driver change.
• When one app plays no audio. A system-wide test shows whether the problem is the app or the device.

Interpreting partial failures

A sine wave is a pure single frequency. Triangle adds faint odd harmonics; square adds strong odd harmonics (buzzy); sawtooth contains every harmonic (bright). Square and sawtooth carry more high-frequency energy and feel louder, which is useful for revealing rattles, so lower the volume first.

1. Output device: on Windows click the speaker icon in the taskbar and pick the right output (speakers, headphones, HDMI monitor). On macOS open System Settings → Sound → Output.
2. Mute layers: check system volume, the browser tab (right-click the tab → Unmute site), the keyboard mute key and any hardware volume knob.
3. Connections: re-seat the 3.5 mm plug or USB cable; for Bluetooth, remove and re-pair the device.
4. HDMI/DisplayPort: monitors and TVs often take over audio without telling you. Select them deliberately or switch back to your speakers.
5. Drivers: on Windows, Device Manager → Sound, video and game controllers → update or reinstall; restarting the Windows Audio service also helps.
6. Cross-check: try another browser or device. If it works there, the issue is settings, not hardware.

Related guides and fixes

Learn more in these guides: No sound on Windows, No sound on Mac, Headphones only one side, Speakers crackling, How to test speakers, How to test headphones.

If this page plays but YouTube, Zoom or a game is silent, the app uses a different output or is muted in the volume mixer (Windows: Settings → System → Sound → Volume mixer). In Zoom, Teams and Discord, select the same speaker you tested here. In the browser, make sure the site isn't muted.

It confirms playback, routing and obvious faults. Perceived loudness depends on your hardware, and some devices process tones. For deeper checks use the speaker test, bass test and frequency sweep.

If the sound test failed

Check output device, volume, mute and cables, then restart the browser.

Only one channel plays

Disable mono audio and check balance.

If everything fails

Update the audio driver, try another browser or device to isolate the cause.

Test controls and status

Each control shows its state; the status line tells you what is playing.

What this stereo demonstration can check

Channel routing and balance, not true surround decoding.

Every test failed and the tips did not help

Try another device and headphones; if those work, update or reinstall your audio driver or contact the manufacturer.

A sound test answers a simple question: does audio leave your device and reach your ears correctly? It sounds trivial, but there are many places it can fail: a muted app, the wrong output device, a disconnected Bluetooth headset that the system still prefers, an HDMI monitor without speakers, a broken cable, or a driver that crashed after an update. Playing known signals at known positions lets you check each part of that chain in turn.

This online sound test uses tones and noise generated directly in your browser. Low tones check woofers and bass response, mid tones check the range where voices live, high tones check tweeters and the top end of your hearing, and noise checks that the whole spectrum plays cleanly. Left and right buttons confirm channel routing.

1. Lower the system volume to about a quarter, then press the mid tone. You should hear a steady, clean note.
2. Raise the volume to a comfortable level using that tone as the reference.
3. Play the low tone. On small laptop speakers it may be faint; that is normal. On larger speakers or headphones it should be clear and free of rattles.
4. Play the high tone. If you hear nothing, try headphones before blaming the speakers; high frequencies are the first to go with age.
5. Play left and right. Each must come only from its own side.
6. Play noise. It should sound like an even hiss, without crackles, dropouts or buzzing.
7. If any step fails, use the table below to jump to the right fix.

If you are not getting any sound at all, work through this order, because it goes from the most to the least likely cause:

• Tab and app volume. Browsers can mute individual tabs. Right-click the tab and make sure "Unmute site" is not offered. Check the volume mixer for the browser.
• Output device. Systems switch outputs automatically when headphones, Bluetooth devices or monitors connect. Select the device you actually want.
• Hardware power and input. External speakers need power and the right input selected; many have a standby mode.
• Cables. Reseat the plug fully; try another port.
• Drivers and the audio service. Restart the computer, then update or roll back the audio driver. On Windows, restarting the Windows Audio service often restores sound without a reboot.
• Another device. Plug the same headphones into a phone. If they work there, the computer is at fault.

Full instructions are in no sound on Windows and no sound on Mac.

Good placement improves every test result. For a stereo pair, form an equilateral triangle between the two speakers and your head, with the tweeters at ear height. Keep the pair symmetric relative to the side walls, because a nearby wall boosts bass on one side and pulls the image towards it. Laptop users get the best result with the laptop on a hard surface at arm's length; many laptops fire their speakers downward and lose much of their output on a soft surface. For TVs, disable virtual surround and room effects during the test.

Before a video call or online class

Run the sound test and the mic test together. Five seconds of each saves the "can you hear me?" ritual.

After plugging in new headphones or speakers

Confirm the system switched to the new device and that left and right are correct.

When a game or app sounds wrong

If the sound test is fine but one app is not, the problem lies in that app's settings or its selected device.

Checking a device before buying second-hand

A quick run through low, mid, high and noise reveals blown drivers and loose connections.

They overlap. The audio test is the fastest one-page check. This sound test adds more detail across the range. The speaker test adds sweeps and polarity for stereo speakers, and the headphone test focuses on earcups and imaging. Start with whichever matches your device, and move to the specialised one if something fails.