Speaker Frequency Response Test
This speaker frequency response test plays signals across the full audible range — a logarithmic sweep from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, stepped tones in 1/1- or 1/3-octave bands, or full-band pink noise — so you can audition your speakers by ear. A live frequency readout and a per-band listening guide tell you what each part of the spectrum should sound like, and what a dropout, resonance or buzz means.
ℹ This is an uncalibrated, by-ear listening aid — not a measurement. It only generates sound; there is no microphone and it produces no response curve or dB numbers. What you hear is your speakers + room + your own hearing combined, so a band that sounds weak could be the speaker, the room, or age-related hearing loss. For an actual response curve you need a measurement microphone plus software like REW — or use the Room Frequency Analyzer or Audio Spectrum Analyzer on this site. Plays both channels.
⚠ Protect your ears and speakers. Start at a low volume and raise it slowly. Sweeps and stepped tones spend time at the frequency extremes — deep bass and high treble can over-excite small drivers (especially laptop, phone and earbud speakers) and pure tones at high level can cause hearing damage or driver distortion. If anything rattles, buzzes or distorts, turn it down immediately. Never use this with in-ear monitors at high volume.
Speaker test signal generator
Choose a test signal and press Play. Start with the volume low.
What you should hear at each band
How It Works
This tool is a pure signal generator. When you press Play it builds a Web Audio graph in your browser — an oscillator (for the sweep and stepped tones) or a looping pink-noise buffer — routes it through a volume control, and sends it to your speakers as the intended output. There is no microphone and no analysis: nothing is measured, recorded or uploaded. You are the measurement instrument, judging each part of the spectrum with your own ears. All three modes — the frequency sweep test, the stepped audio test tones, and the pink-noise wash — serve as a practical speaker sound test you can run directly in a browser. For a paired distortion check on suspect bands, use the speaker distortion analyzer to park a sustained tone on any problem frequency and listen for rattles or buzz.
The logarithmic sweep glides a single sine tone smoothly from 20 Hz to 20 kHz over the duration you set (10–60 s). It is "logarithmic" because pitch is perceived logarithmically, so the tone spends roughly equal time per octave rather than racing through the highs. A live readout shows the current frequency so you can pin down exactly where something goes wrong — a sudden drop in level, a frequency where a panel or cabinet starts to buzz or rattle, or a resonance where one note jumps out much louder than its neighbours.
The stepped tones mode plays discrete speaker test tones spaced by a full octave (1/1) or a third of an octave (1/3), holding each so you can compare adjacent frequency bands directly. Use Prev/Next to move by hand or let it auto-advance — the 1/3-octave step size is especially useful for locating a crossover anomaly or a peak in the presence region. Pink noise (equal energy per octave, following a -3 dB/octave spectral slope) plays all frequencies at once, which sounds like a smooth, even "shhh"; an obvious peak, dip, whistle or buzz in that wash points to a problem in the speaker or room.
The honest limitation: because there is no calibrated microphone, this can tell you that something sounds wrong, but not give you a numeric response curve or dB figure. Your room reinforces some frequencies and cancels others (room modes), small speakers cannot reach the deepest bass at all, and human hearing rolls off the top with age. To turn impressions into an actual measured curve, use a measurement microphone with software such as REW, or the Room Frequency Analyzer and Audio Spectrum Analyzer here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this measure my speaker's frequency response?
No. It only plays test signals; there is no microphone and it produces no curve or dB numbers. It is an uncalibrated by-ear test that helps you notice dropouts, resonances and buzzes. What you hear is your speakers, your room and your own hearing combined. For a real measured response curve you need a measurement microphone and software like REW, or try the Room Frequency Analyzer or Audio Spectrum Analyzer on this site.
My speakers play nothing below about 60 Hz — is something broken?
Usually not. Most small speakers, laptops, phones and earbuds simply cannot reproduce sub-bass (20–60 Hz), so hearing little or nothing there during the sweep is normal. Bookshelf speakers often roll off below 50–60 Hz, and only larger speakers or a subwoofer reach the deepest octave. Silence in the lowest band is expected for small drivers, not a fault. To check how low your system really goes, the Bass Extension Test is more focused on that question.
Which signal should I use — sweep, stepped tones, or pink noise?
Use the sweep to scan the whole range continuously and catch the exact frequency where a buzz, rattle or resonance starts, helped by the live readout. Use stepped tones to compare bands one at a time and judge whether each is roughly even. Use pink noise for an overall tonal impression of the system at once — it should sound like a smooth, even "shhh" with no obvious hole, peak or whistle. All three play through both channels.
A buzz or rattle appears at one frequency. What does that mean?
A buzz or rattle at a specific frequency is usually a mechanical resonance — a loose grille, port, cabinet panel, screw, or an object in the room vibrating in sympathy — or a driver being pushed too hard. Lower the volume first; if it persists at a moderate level, it points to something physical to track down and tighten or damp. A frequency where one tone is dramatically louder than its neighbours is more likely a room mode, which moving your seat or speakers can help.
Is it safe to run the high-frequency and high-volume tones?
Only with care. Start at a low volume and raise it slowly. Sustained pure tones at high level can damage hearing and can over-drive small tweeters and drivers, and the bass extremes can stress small speakers. If anything distorts, buzzes or rattles, turn it down at once. Never use this through in-ear monitors at high volume. The volume here is intentionally capped well below full scale, but your system can still play loud — use your own amplifier and device volume responsibly.
Can I test the left and right channels separately to check for imbalance?
Not directly with this tool — the test signals play through both channels simultaneously. To check channel balance or isolate a fault in one driver, use your operating system's balance control or your amplifier's balance knob to push all output to the left or right, then run the sweep again. A channel that sounds significantly quieter, brighter, or more distorted than the other points to a driver, crossover, or connection issue on that side. For per-channel spectrum analysis you will need a measurement microphone with software such as REW.
What is a "good" frequency response for a speaker, and how flat should it be?
A commonly cited target for hi-fi loudspeakers is ±3 dB across most of the audible range, though in practice consumer speakers often deviate more than that — especially at the bass and treble extremes. By ear, a variation of around 3 dB or less is subtle; 6 dB or more is clearly audible as a tonal imbalance. Critically, what you hear with this tool reflects your speaker, your room, and your hearing combined: a peak or dip could be a room mode, not a speaker flaw. For a genuine ±dB measurement use a calibrated measurement microphone and software like REW.
What is the difference between pink noise and white noise for speaker testing?
Pink noise has equal energy per octave, which means it has the same perceived loudness across low, mid and high frequency bands — closely matching how the human ear and music are naturally weighted. White noise has equal energy per hertz, which puts much more energy in the highs and sounds very harsh and hissy. Pink noise is the standard choice for speaker testing and room measurement because it exercises the full spectrum in a perceptually balanced way. This tool uses pink noise, not white noise, for that reason.
One frequency band sounds much louder than its neighbors — could that be a room mode?
Yes, very likely. Room modes (also called standing waves) are frequencies where sound waves reinforce each other between parallel walls, floor and ceiling, causing dramatic peaks and nulls that have nothing to do with the speaker itself. They are most pronounced in the bass region (typically 30–300 Hz), and moving your listening position even a metre can change them dramatically. If the loud band disappears when you stand up, move a few steps, or play in a different room, it is almost certainly a room mode rather than a speaker resonance. The Room Frequency Analyzer with a microphone is the right tool to map these modes properly.