White
0 dB / octave
Equal energy at every frequency. Because we hear in octaves, it sounds bright and hissy — the classic "TV static".
Bass test.
Deep tones from 200 Hz down to 20 Hz, the bottom of human hearing. Take the step test to see how low your headphones, speakers or subwoofer really go.
Now playing
Deep sleep
How low can you go?
Press Start and answer at each step, or tap a tone to play it. Keep the volume moderate: small speakers buzz before they get loud. The spectrum shows each tone really plays, even where you hear nothing.
What the bass test tells you
Most phone and laptop speakers stop somewhere around 150 to 300 Hz: below that you hear little or nothing. Good earbuds reach 30 to 40 Hz, good headphones and large speakers about 30 Hz, and a subwoofer goes down to 20 Hz.
Hearing also fades at the very bottom: at 20 Hz a tone has to be far louder than at 1 kHz to be heard at all, and it is felt as much as heard. So the test mostly measures your setup, and a little your ears. The rattle sweep finds things that buzz along with the bass.
Good to know
- Even when your speakers cannot play a low note, you may still hear its pitch from its harmonics: the missing fundamental.
- The lowest note of a standard piano is 27.5 Hz (A0); a five-string bass reaches about 31 Hz (B0).
- Headphones seal against your ears, so tiny drivers can play deep bass; speakers have to move the air of a whole room.
- Corners boost bass and some spots cancel it: a subwoofer can sound very different a metre away.
| Lowest tone you hear | Typical of | What it misses |
|---|---|---|
| 150–300 Hz | Phone and laptop speakers | The bass line itself |
| 60–100 Hz | Small speakers, cheap earbuds | The deepest bass and kick drums |
| 40 Hz | Good earbuds, bookshelf speakers | Organ pedals, film rumble |
| 30 Hz | Good headphones, big speakers | Only the very bottom |
| 20 Hz | Subwoofers, the best headphones | Nothing: the edge of hearing |
How low can humans hear?
About 20 Hz, though a tone that low must be very loud to be heard, and is felt as much as heard. Below 20 Hz is infrasound.
Why can’t I hear the 20 Hz tone?
Most headphones and speakers cannot play it at a useful level, and hearing is weak there anyway. Try headphones or a subwoofer, at a moderate volume.
What is a rattle test?
A slow, strong sweep through the bass: if a speaker, a shelf or a window buzzes at some point, you hear it rattle along at that pitch.
Mixes
Pick what you need. One tap to start, change anything and save it as your own.
Focus timer
Work in waves.
The Pomodoro rhythm: focus with calm sound in your ears, then take a real break. A soft bell marks every change, so you never watch the clock. Every fourth break is a long one.
Every fourth break is twice as long.
25:00Focus · 1 of 4
Sound while you work
Breathe
Slow your breathing down.
Follow the circle and the sound: it rises as you breathe in and falls as you breathe out. Choose a rhythm, or set your own, and pick what plays underneath.
Ready
Sound while you breathe
Noise generator
Any color of noise, from deep brown to bright violet — and everything in between.
Brown noise
Spectrum · 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Sound science
The colors of noise
Same randomness, different tilt. Each color shifts energy between low and high pitches — here is what that sounds like.
Pink
−3 dB / octave
Equal energy in every octave, so it sounds even to the ear. Steady rain, rustling leaves. A favorite for focus.
Brown
−6 dB / octave
Deep and warm, like a distant waterfall or a plane cabin. Masks voices and traffic without any hiss.
Grey
Equal-loudness curve
Shaped around how our hearing works, so every pitch seems equally loud. Balanced and soft.
Blue
+3 dB / octave
The mirror of pink: more treble than bass. Airy, crisp, like a light spray.
Violet
+6 dB / octave
Mostly treble, like hissing water. Sometimes used to mask high-pitched ringing.
Calm
Gentle tones to settle into: singing bowls, a slow warm drone, wind chimes tuned so every note fits.
Frequencies
Famous tones on pages of their own: hear them side by side, with honest facts.
Sound phenomena
How sound bends, shifts, rings and fools the ear, and why space is silent: hear it for yourself.
Nature
Rooms & travel
Animals & countryside
A purring cat, whales and dolphins, a nightingale in the dark, cowbells on a summer pasture. Wonderful in stereo.
For babies
Womb sounds are what a baby heard for nine months: a deep rush of blood flow, and the heartbeat.
Hearing and speaker tests
Check your ears, headphones and speakers, each test on a page of its own with a live picture.
Ear Age · 60 seconds
Test your ears.
Our ears lose the highest pitches first, and it starts early. Find the highest tone you can still hear and see the typical age for it.
- Headphones on, quiet room
- Set a comfortable volume on the 1 kHz tone
- Don't turn it up when a tone disappears — that's the point
Step 1 · Volume
Play the reference tone and set your volume so it's clear but comfortable. Leave it there.
Step 2 · Listen
8,000Hz
Your result
8k12k16k20k
A rough guide, not a diagnosis. Your phone, headphones and even this browser can cut the highest tones. Worried about your hearing? See an audiologist.
More ear tests
Check your headphones, find the deepest bass your setup can play, or play any pitch you like.
Headphones check
Left & right
Each ear should get its own side. It matters for 8D, binaural beats and every stereo sound here.
Headphones on, then tap a side.
Bass test
How low can you go?
Deep tones from 200 Hz down to 20 Hz, the bottom of human hearing. Mostly it tests your speakers or headphones.
200Hz
Your setup plays down to
Tone generator
Any pitch, 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Hz
Start quiet: high tones and square waves get tiring fast.
Take it to bed
An app without the app store.
Add Ears & Waves to your home screen and it opens like any app — full screen, with its own icon. Everything it needs is saved on your device, so it keeps playing on a plane, in a tent or with Wi-Fi off.
Preparing offline mode…
- Works offlineNo streaming. Sound is computed on your device, forever.
- Screen offKeeps playing with the phone locked. The timer fades it out gently.
- PrivateNo account, no ads, no cookies. Your mixes stay on your device.
