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Device test

Play each side and check it comes from the right place.

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Surround sound test: what a browser can and cannot check

Browsers output stereo and let the operating system handle everything after that, so a web page cannot address a rear speaker directly. This test proves the front pair and the signal path; the section below covers the honest limits.

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The short answer

A browser cannot send discrete 5.1 or 7.1 channels — it outputs stereo, and your operating system or receiver upmixes it. Use the tones below to confirm the front pair and the signal path, then use the speaker configuration test in Windows or macOS, or your receiver's own test tone, to check the centre, surround and subwoofer channels individually.

Getting it right

Four things worth knowing

  • Use the system test for discrete channels

    On Windows: Sound settings → your device → Configure → Test plays each speaker in turn by name. On macOS: Audio MIDI Setup → Configure Speakers. Those tools address individual channels; a browser cannot.

  • The receiver's test tone is the ground truth

    Every AV receiver has a channel test in its setup menu, and it bypasses the computer entirely. That is exactly what you want when deciding whether a silent rear speaker is the PC or the wiring.

  • A silent centre channel is usually the source

    Stereo material has no centre channel at all. Check whether what you are playing is genuinely multichannel before you start adjusting speaker levels.

  • Check the declared speaker layout first

    If the system believes you have two speakers, it folds everything into two no matter how many are connected. The configuration screen above is where that is declared.

Nothing leaves your device

This test runs entirely in your browser. There is no upload, no recording and no server that could receive anything — close the tab and it is gone.

  • No sign-up and no account
  • Nothing recorded or stored
  • Works with an ad blocker on
  • Free, and staying free
FAQ

Questions people ask

Anything we've missed?

Tell us

Can I test 5.1 speakers in a browser?

Not channel by channel. Web audio outputs stereo to the operating system, which then upmixes it. Use the speaker configuration test in Windows or macOS to hear individual channels.

Why do my rear speakers stay silent?

Either the source is stereo, or the system is configured for two channels. Check the declared speaker layout in your sound settings before suspecting the speakers or the wiring.

What about surround from a streaming site?

Some services pass multichannel audio through in specific browsers and apps, and many do not. It varies by service and platform, which is another reason a browser test cannot settle this.

My subwoofer does nothing.

Check that it is enabled in the speaker configuration, that the crossover is not set below the range of the material, and that the receiver is not in a stereo mode that bypasses it.

Test it for something specific

Other device tests

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Before it matters

Find the problem now, not mid-sentence

Every one of these runs in the browser and checks one thing properly. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is recorded, and none of them need an account.

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