About Stereo Hearing Test
This tool plays pure sine-wave tones at frequencies you choose, through your left ear, right ear, or both. Use it to check whether you can hear each frequency in each ear, and to compare your hearing in both ears. Adults typically hear from 20 Hz up to 16–20 kHz. High-frequency hearing decreases with age — most adults over 50 cannot hear 16 kHz. Use headphones for accurate results; built-in laptop speakers cannot reproduce the full range.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this a real audiometry test?
- No. Real audiometry uses calibrated equipment in a sound-isolated booth and measures hearing threshold in decibels. This is a self-screening tool — useful for noticing imbalance or high-frequency loss, but not a substitute for a clinical exam.
- Why headphones?
- Speakers cannot isolate left vs right channels (sound reaches both ears), and most speakers cannot reproduce frequencies above 15 kHz. Headphones give accurate channel separation and a wider response.
- What's a normal high-frequency limit?
- Roughly: under 20 — up to 20 kHz, 30s — up to 17 kHz, 40s — up to 15 kHz, 50s — up to 12 kHz, 60s — up to 10 kHz. This varies significantly between individuals.
- Is the audio recorded?
- No. Sound is generated locally in your browser with the Web Audio API. Nothing is recorded or transmitted.
- Why doesn't very low frequency play?
- Frequencies below ~80 Hz are reproduced poorly by most consumer headphones (and not at all by laptop speakers). You may need over-ear or studio headphones for full bass response.