How to Test a Headset Online

Connect your headphones to your computer.

Press "Windows-I" and then click on the speaker icon. Drag the volume bar up to the halfway point. Check your headset to make sure any volume dials or mute buttons are set up so that the headset will play audio.

Navigate to TinyEye Setup Tester (see Resources). If you can hear jazz music playing, your headset is working properly.

Press "Windows-I" and then click on the speaker icon. Drag the volume bar up to the halfway point. Check your headset to make sure any volume dials or mute buttons are set up so that the headset will play audio.

Navigate to the Headphones and Earphones Benchmarking Test Files page (link in Resources). Click on "10 Hz >> 200 Hz + Voiceover" button and listen to the file until you hear the tone. The speaker names the frequencies, and the last one you hear is the lowest frequency you can hear on the headset. Click the button again to stop the file.

Click on "22 kHz >> 8 kHz + Voice Over" to begin the treble extension test. Listen until you can hear a high-pitched tone. The voice tells you how many kHz your headset can detect. Click the button again to stop the file.

Click on the "Dynamic Test + Voice Over" button to test the dynamic range of your headset. Adjust the volume so it's comfortable, but still loud. Listen until the voice stops playing. This benchmark gives you an idea of how much noise cancellation the headset offers. Click the button again to stop the file.

Click the "Bass Shaker" button to test the quality of the headset. The volume should be loud, but the tone should stay clear and free of any noise. If there are rattles in the set, they may be of a lower quality. Click the button again to stop the file.

Click the "Full Range Sweep" button to test the driver matching capabilities of the headset. The sound should stay centered between both ears. Do the test twice, flipping the headset around between the tests. Click the button again to stop the file.

Click on the "Center" and "Twisted" buttons to test the polarity of the headset. The center button should play a sound that's centered, while the twisted sound should be harder to pinpoint. Click the button again to stop the file.

Press "Windows-I" and then click on the speaker icon. Drag the volume bar up to the halfway point. Check your headset to make sure any volume dials or mute buttons are set up so that the headset will play audio.

Navigate to Eminent Technology's Multimedia Speaker Test (link in Resources) and click "250 Hz Sine Wave Test Tone." You should hear a central, single tone. Return to the main page after the sound file is done playing.

Click "500 Hz Left Sine Wave Test Tone" and listen to the audio file. It should be a single tone that comes from the left side of the headset. Return to the main page after the sound file is done playing. Click "500 Hz Right Sine Wave Test Tone" to hear the same tone from the right headset. Return to the main page after the sound file is done playing.

Click the "Pink Noise Monaural" link and listen to the file, which should sound like rain coming from a central location. Return to the main page after the sound file is done playing. Click the "Pink Noise With Reversed Polarity" link and listen to the file, which should have the same sound but it should be coming from opposite sides. Return to the main page after the sound file is done playing.

Click on each of the test tone links individually and listen to the sound files to see whether you can hear the tones. Each gives you an idea of what your headset is capable of.