We guide you step by step: we play test sounds and you tell us what you hear. In about 2 minutes you get a likely diagnosis and what to do next.
A free guided speaker test to find out why your speaker sounds bad — or whether it is blown at all. Instead of guessing from forum posts, the wizard plays targeted test sounds (bass and treble sweeps, per-channel noise, a polarity check, tones at rising levels) and asks what you hear after each one. Your ears are the sensor: no microphone needed, nothing to install, and nothing is recorded.
What it can detect
The classic failures, in plain words: a rattling woofer (damaged suspension or rubbing voice coil) versus a harmless vibrating shelf; a blown or scratchy tweeter; a dead or weak channel (often just a cable or the balance knob); inverted polarity (a swapped + / − wire that kills the stereo image and the bass); and distortion that appears only at high volume — a power limit, not a fault. At the end you get a main diagnosis, secondary findings and a recommended next step, plus a shareable result card.
Before you start
Place yourself where you normally listen, set the volume to a low-medium level and follow the steps. For stereo pairs, the polarity check works best standing between the two speakers. The verdict is indicative — a guided ear test, not a lab measurement — but it separates the common cases remarkably well and tells you when a technician (or just a screwdriver) is worth it.
Frequently asked questions
How does the speaker test work?
It plays targeted test signals — bass and treble sweeps, per-channel noise, a polarity check and tones at increasing levels — and asks you what you hear after each one. Your answers feed a set of rules that points to the most likely cause: a damaged woofer or tweeter, a swapped wire, a dead channel, the system's power limit… or nothing at all.
How reliable is the diagnosis?
It's indicative: the sensor is your own hearing, so it depends on how carefully you listen. It's very good at separating the classic cases (rattling woofer, silent tweeter, inverted polarity, dead channel, room vibration), but it doesn't replace a technician with proper instruments.
The rattle turned out to be “room vibration”. Is my speaker broken?
No — that's the good outcome. Bass makes objects around the speaker resonate: furniture panels, grilles, shelves, windows. Decouple the speaker with rubber or foam pads, tighten screws and move buzzing objects. The speaker itself is fine.
My speaker only distorts when it's loud. Is it broken?
Probably not: every amplifier and speaker has a limit, and pushing past it causes clipping — a dirty, compressed sound. That's a limit, not a fault. Do respect it: sustained clipping is the number one tweeter killer. If it distorts even at low volume, then something is damaged.
Does it work for headphones and soundbars?
Yes. The wizard adapts: with headphones it checks each earpiece and keeps levels moderate; with a single speaker (Bluetooth, soundbar, phone) it skips the stereo-only tests such as the polarity check.
Can the test itself damage my speaker?
Not at sensible volume. Start at a low-medium level as instructed: the signals are short and controlled. Avoid running the bass sweep at full blast on small speakers — the goal is to hear problems, not to cause them.