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SPEAKER FREQUENCY SWEEP TEST

Sweep a low-level sine tone continuously between two frequencies, reverse the direction, and hold the current frequency when you hear a repeatable buzz or rattle. Use it to narrow down speaker, cabinet, desk or room resonances without installing test software.

Lower your physical playback volume before starting. The browser output is intentionally capped, but your amplifier, powered speaker or headphone level still controls the real acoustic loudness. Stop immediately if a tone is uncomfortable.
Logarithmic Web Audio sweep

Find and hold a repeatable problem frequency

STOPPED
—Hz

How to find a speaker rattle

  1. Begin with the Bass / Rattle preset and a comfortable physical volume.
  2. Run the sweep and listen for a buzz, cabinet vibration, port noise or sudden mechanical rattle.
  3. Press Hold Current as soon as the problem appears. The tone will stay at the displayed frequency.
  4. Gently check nearby objects, a grille, desk surface or cable while the tone is held. If the noise changes, the speaker driver may not be the source.
  5. Repeat in reverse or with a narrower range to confirm the problem occurs at roughly the same frequency.

Why the sweep is logarithmic

Human pitch perception and audio testing are usually easier to follow when equal time is spent across proportional frequency changes rather than adding the same number of hertz each second. The browser oscillator therefore ramps exponentially between the chosen endpoints.

The displayed frequency is the requested Web Audio oscillator frequency. It is not a microphone measurement of what the speaker physically produced.

What can cause a repeatable buzz

  • Loose cabinet, grille, stand or desk hardware.
  • A cable or object touching a vibrating surface.
  • Port turbulence or a damaged/loose speaker component.
  • Room objects resonating sympathetically.
  • Clipping or distortion elsewhere in the playback chain.

Why loudness changes during a sweep

Speakers, headphones, room acoustics and human hearing are not flat across frequency. A pure digital tone at constant generator gain can sound much louder or quieter at different frequencies.

Do not turn the physical volume up aggressively to compensate for a quiet region while the sweep is moving.

Use the manual tone page after the sweep

Once the sweep identifies a suspicious region, the regular channel/frequency tool is useful for spot checks at nearby exact frequencies or for isolating left and right output channels.

Limitations

  • This is not a calibrated frequency-response or distortion measurement.
  • No microphone is used, so the page cannot measure SPL, THD or acoustic output.
  • Your listening ability and room acoustics influence what you notice.
  • Very low or high frequencies may be inaudible even when the hardware is functioning normally.
  • Do not use this as a hearing test.

Speaker sweep FAQ

Why stop at 8 kHz?

This tool is optimized for equipment troubleshooting and rattle hunting rather than hearing-limit tests. Keeping the adjustable range focused reduces the temptation to play extreme tones loudly.

Can I sweep downward?

Yes. Press Reverse to swap the endpoints, then run again. A problem that appears near the same frequency in both directions is more repeatable evidence.

What does Hold Current do?

It replaces the running sweep with a steady low-level sine tone at the current displayed frequency so you can inspect the source of a buzz or resonance.

Is the audio uploaded?

No. The oscillator and sweep are generated locally with the browser Web Audio API.