Left / Right Speaker Test
Press left, both, then right and listen to where each tone comes from: labels that sound opposite mean reversed channels; sound from only one side means a dead or unbalanced channel.
A 1.2s 440Hz tone pans to the selected side. No permission needed — playback only.
How to read it
- Left tone from the right side means swapped channels — check cabling, device orientation, and the OS balance slider.
- The center button should sound equally from both sides; one silent side points to a dead driver or a half-seated plug.
- Single-speaker phones and mono tablets emit everything from one point — that is normal, not a fault.
Frequently asked questions
The left tone plays on the right — what now?
First rule out wearing/placing the device backwards. On wired speakers check the satellite cables (red-white/black-black), on Bluetooth check the system balance slider, on a PC open the sound control panel and reset balance.
The center button only plays on one side?
The other driver or channel is out: cross-test with another pair of headphones, check the 3.5mm plug is fully seated (a half-plugged TRS jack often kills one channel), and check the OS mono mode isn't accidentally on.
Why can't I tell left from right on my device?
Mono devices — single-speaker phones, mono tablets, single smart speakers — emit everything from one point. This test targets stereo headphones, bookshelf speakers and dual-driver devices.
How loud should the test tones be?
Low-to-medium volume is enough to place direction — no need to max out. The point is comparing both sides at equal loudness.