QuickDeviceTest Device test / Tone generator
Tone generator
Play any frequency from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Fine-tune by 1 Hz or jump by octaves, change the waveform, pan left or right, or sweep the whole range to hear where your speakers start and stop.
Start quiet. High tones and long bass tones are tiring to hear and hard on small speakers.
Common uses
| Task | Try |
|---|---|
| Find a speaker rattle | Slow sweep, moderate volume; note the frequency where it buzzes |
| Check subwoofer reach | Step down from 80 Hz to 20 Hz (see the bass test) |
| Tune to concert pitch | 440 Hz (A4) |
| Rough hearing-range check | Sine wave, low volume, step up from 10 kHz |
| Check left/right balance | 1 kHz, move the balance slider |
Frequency, pitch and octaves
Frequency is how many times per second the speaker cone moves back and forth, measured in hertz (Hz). We hear frequency as pitch. Pitch works on ratios, not steps: going up one octave always doubles the frequency, which is why the slider is logarithmic. The middle of the slider is about 630 Hz, not 10 kHz.
A browser can't tell what actually reaches your ears. Laptop and phone speakers roll off steeply below about 150 Hz, and many headphones fall off above 15 kHz. A tone you can't hear may be the hardware's limit, not your hearing.
Questions
What is an online tone generator?
A tool that plays a pure tone at a frequency you choose. It is used to test speakers and headphones, find rattles and resonances, tune instruments, check hearing range, and locate annoying room modes.
What frequency is the musical note A?
A4, the A above middle C, is 440 Hz under the standard ISO 16 tuning. Each octave doubles the frequency: A5 is 880 Hz and A3 is 220 Hz. The generator shows the nearest note name next to the frequency.
What is the difference between sine, square, triangle and sawtooth waves?
A sine wave is a single pure frequency. Square, triangle and sawtooth waves add harmonics (multiples of the base frequency), so they sound buzzier. Use sine for speaker and hearing checks, and the others to hear how harmonics change a tone.
What frequencies can humans hear?
Roughly 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz for young people. The upper limit drops with age; many adults no longer hear above about 15–17 kHz. Small speakers often can't reproduce much below 100–150 Hz, so silence at a low tone may be the speaker, not your ears.
Can a tone generator damage speakers or hearing?
Yes, at high volume. Keep the volume low, especially with headphones and with high-frequency or long bass tones. Stop if anything rattles or sounds distorted.