Phones
Roughly 150–200 Hz. Below that the speaker mostly moves air you cannot hear.
Bass Test: How Low Can Your Speakers Go?
The automatic test steps down from 200 Hz to 20 Hz. Tap the moment you lose the tone and you get your real bass limit — compared against what phones, laptops, bookshelf speakers and subwoofers usually reach.
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On iPhone, turn the Ring/Silent switch to Ring or the page will stay silent.
Start low and raise the volume slowly — subwoofers move a lot of air and neighbours hear 40 Hz through walls. On headphones, bass depends on the seal: press the ear cups or push the tips in gently.
1 · Automatic test — 200 Hz down to 20 Hz
— Hz
READY
2 · Play one frequency — tap again to stop
Output
Short answer
Run the automatic test and tap the moment the tone disappears — that is your bass limit. Phone speakers usually fade out around 150–200 Hz and laptops around 100–150 Hz, which is normal, not a fault. A healthy subwoofer stays audible or felt down to about 25–35 Hz. Mark any rattle you hear on the way down.
How to use it
- Start quiet. Low frequencies need more power and carry through walls. Raise the volume gradually during the 200 Hz step.
- Run the automatic test. Eleven standard steps from 200 Hz to 20 Hz, about 2.7 seconds each. Tap “I can’t hear it now” the moment it vanishes or turns into a faint flutter.
- Mark rattles. If anything buzzes — a grille, a panel, the desk — tap “Something rattles”. You will see which frequencies to investigate.
- Hold a frequency. Tap any step to play it continuously for comparing speakers, placing a subwoofer, or hunting a rattle.
How this low frequency test works
This speaker bass test checks how low your speakers or subwoofer can go. Instead of a music clip, the bass test sound is a pure tone: the automatic test plays a pure sine at eleven standard one-third-octave steps — 200, 160, 125, 100, 80, 63, 50, 40, 31.5, 25 and 20 Hz — for about 2.7 seconds each. Pure tones matter: music has harmonics, so a small speaker can suggest bass it cannot actually play. A sine at 50 Hz is either there or it is not.
Tap I can’t hear it now when the tone disappears or turns into a faint flutter. Your result is the last step you clearly heard.
How low can my speakers go?
| Device | Typical lowest audible step |
|---|---|
| Phone | 160–200 Hz |
| Laptop, small Bluetooth speaker | 80–125 Hz |
| Earbuds without a good seal | 100–160 Hz |
| Desktop and bookshelf speakers | 50–63 Hz |
| Closed headphones, sealed earbuds | 25–40 Hz |
| Subwoofer | 20–31.5 Hz |
These are rough figures, not specifications. If your result is far above the range for your device, check the seal, any bass-cut EQ, and compare Left and Right.
Subwoofer and sub bass test
Sub bass is everything below about 60 Hz — the part you feel as much as hear.
- Set Output to Both — subwoofers usually play a mono mix of both channels.
- Sit where you normally listen. Bass changes a lot around a room.
- Run the automatic test. A working subwoofer should still be heard or felt at 25–35 Hz.
- Hold 40, 50, 63 and 80 Hz. If one is far louder than the others, that is a room mode — try moving the sub along the wall by 30–50 cm and repeat.
Rattle, boom or weak speaker?
- Rattle or buzz that comes and goes at one step: a loose grille, panel, screw or an object on the shelf. Hold that frequency and touch things until it stops.
- Boom at one frequency that changes when you move your head: the room, not the speaker.
- Slapping or crackling that gets worse with volume: the speaker is bottoming out. Turn it down immediately.
- One side weaker: play 63 or 100 Hz on Left, then Right. If the weak side stays weak after swapping speakers, it’s the wiring or the amplifier channel.
Headphones and earbuds
Headphone bass depends almost entirely on the seal. If the test result is disappointing, press the ear cups gently against your head or push the tips in a little and run it again. A big jump means a different tip size or better fit will fix it.
20 Hz test: why can’t I hear it?
Human hearing is far less sensitive at 20 Hz than in the midrange, and very few speakers can reproduce it at a meaningful level. On a good subwoofer you feel it more than hear it. Not hearing it is the normal result.
Typical bass limits
Laptops and small Bluetooth speakers
Roughly 80–150 Hz, depending on size.
Bookshelf speakers, closed headphones
Roughly 40–60 Hz.
Subwoofers
Roughly 20–35 Hz.
If something sounds wrong
Headphones have no bass
Bass depends on the seal. Press the cups to your head or try a larger ear tip — if the bass jumps, the fit was the problem.
One speaker sounds weaker
Play 63 or 100 Hz on Left, then Right. A big difference points at that speaker, its wiring, or a balance setting.
Booming at one frequency
That is usually a room mode. Move the subwoofer a little and re-test 40–80 Hz from your seat.
FAQ
How do I test my subwoofer?
Set Output to Both, sit where you normally listen, and run the automatic test. A healthy subwoofer stays audible (or at least felt) down to about 25–35 Hz. Then hold 40–80 Hz and move the sub to reduce booms.
How low can phone and laptop speakers go?
Phone speakers typically fade out somewhere around 150–200 Hz and laptops around 100–150 Hz. Below that you hear harmonics or nothing — that is normal, not a fault.
Why can’t I hear 20 Hz?
Very few speakers reproduce it, and at 20 Hz human hearing is far less sensitive than in the midrange, so it is felt more than heard. Not hearing it is the normal result.
Is this bass test safe for my speakers?
At moderate volume, yes. The level is capped. Stop if you hear the speaker bottoming out — a slapping or crackling sound.
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