Headphone Test
Put them on, turn the volume down, and check left, right and phase.
Turn your volume down before you start. Stop any tone that is uncomfortable.
Ready.
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How to use this test
The headphone test checks the left and right channels, plays an out-of-phase signal that should sound hollow and hard to place, and offers low, mid and high tones to check the whole range. It works for headphones, earbuds and headsets.
Put the headphones on the correct way round and lower the volume. Press Left and Right to confirm each side. Press Out of phase: a correctly wired pair sounds thin and seems to come from everywhere. Then play the low, mid and high tones and note which ones you can hear.
What the results mean
Left should play in your left ear. If it doesn't, the headphones are on backwards or the plug is wired incorrectly. The out-of-phase test sounding exactly like normal stereo suggests one channel is wired the wrong way round. Not hearing the 8 kHz tone is more often a hearing limit than a headphone fault.
Common questions
What should the out-of-phase tone sound like?
Hollow, thin and oddly spread out, as if it has no position in your head. If it sounds like a normal centerd tone, one channel is wired in reverse.
One side is quieter than the other.
Check the balance setting in your operating system first. If balance is centerd, a partly broken cable or a blocked earbud mesh is the usual cause.
Why does the low tone feel more than it sounds?
80 Hz is near the bottom of what small drivers reproduce. Hearing it as a pressure rather than a clear note is normal for in-ear and small headphones.