Surround Sound Test: Check 5.1 and 7.1 Speakers

Check a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker system from your browser. See how many channels your output gives the browser, then play a test sound on each speaker and mark whether the right one answered.

Runs in your browser. Your answers and results never leave this device. No upload, no sign-up.

Turn the volume down on your receiver or speakers first. Test sounds start at 20% and play only when you press a button. Each one is a short burst of noise; the subwoofer gets a low rumble.

Test volume 20%

Output

Channels your browser can use –channels Press Start to read your output

Your report

Run the test above. Your results will appear here as plain text you can paste into a support chat, a return request or a forum post.

How to test surround sound

Turn the volume down on your receiver or speakers. The test sounds start at 20%.
Make your surround system the output: choose it in the Output list if your browser shows one, or make it the default output in your system's sound settings.
Press Start. The page reads how many channels your browser gets and draws the speaker layout.
Play each speaker from the map or the list, or press Play each speaker in turn, and mark whether the sound came from the speaker shown.
Copy the report when every speaker is marked.

What the results mean

Channels

The number of channels comes from your system's setup for the current output: 2 means stereo, 6 means 5.1 and 8 means 7.1. A browser can't send more channels than the system offers, so a surround system set to stereo shows 2 here, even if all its speakers are connected.

Channel order

The Web Audio specification, which browsers follow, fixes the order of a 5.1 signal: front left, front right, center, subwoofer (LFE), surround left and surround right. It sets no order for 7.1, so for eight channels this test assumes the order Windows uses: front left, front right, center, subwoofer, back left, back right, side left and side right. If a different speaker answers than the one highlighted, your system uses another order, or that speaker is connected to the wrong output on your receiver or sound card.

The subwoofer

The LFE channel carries only deep bass, so its test sound is noise with everything above 120 Hz filtered out. It sounds like a low rumble and is easy to miss on small speakers. Some receivers send it to the subwoofer only when a subwoofer is turned on in their speaker setup.

Surround sound problems and fixes

The test shows only 2 channels

The output is set to stereo, or the device in between only takes stereo.

Windows 11

Open Settings → System → Sound → More sound settings.
On the Playback tab, select your speakers or receiver and click Configure.
Choose 5.1 Surround or 7.1 Surround, finish the wizard, then reload this page.

macOS

Open Audio MIDI Setup from Applications → Utilities.
Select your output device and click Configure Speakers.
Choose Multichannel, pick the 5.1 or 7.1 layout, click Apply, then reload this page.

If your computer connects to a TV that passes sound on to a receiver, the TV may offer stereo only. Try connecting the computer to the receiver directly.

A different speaker plays than the one shown

A speaker is connected to the wrong output, or your system uses a different channel order.

Check that each speaker wire goes to the matching terminal on the receiver or amplifier.
Run your receiver's own test tone to see whether its order matches the labels on its back panel.
On Windows, the Configure wizard in the Sound control panel has a Test button that plays each speaker in turn.

The center or the subwoofer is silent

Check that the subwoofer is switched on, turned up and connected to the receiver's subwoofer output.
In your receiver's speaker setup, check that the center speaker and the subwoofer are turned on.
On Windows, run Configure again and check the center and subwoofer are included in the layout.

Every speaker plays at once

Something is spreading each channel over all your speakers: a receiver mode that fills every speaker, an upmixer, or virtual surround.

Set your receiver to a direct, straight or multichannel mode while you test.
On Windows, open Settings → System → Sound, select your speakers and set Spatial sound to Off.
Turn off surround effects in any audio app that came with your computer or sound card.

Common questions

Why does the surround sound test show only 2 channels?

Your browser sends only as many channels as your system's output is set up for. Set the output to 5.1 or 7.1 in the Windows Sound control panel (Configure) or in Audio MIDI Setup on a Mac, then reload the page. Bluetooth headphones and many TVs take stereo only.

Which order are the surround channels in?

For 5.1 the Web Audio specification fixes the order: front left, front right, center, subwoofer (LFE), surround left and surround right. For 7.1 the specification sets no order, so this test uses the common Windows order and names each speaker. If another speaker answers, your system uses a different order or a speaker is wired to the wrong output.

Can this test check Dolby Atmos or DTS:X speakers?

No. A web page sends plain channels of sound, as many as your system reports, not Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. Use your receiver's own test tones to check height speakers.

Why is the subwoofer test so quiet?

The LFE channel carries only deep bass, so the test plays a low rumble that is easy to miss. If you hear nothing, check that the subwoofer is switched on, connected and turned up, and that your receiver or system settings include a subwoofer.

Does the test work with virtual surround on headphones?

Partly. Virtual surround, such as Windows Sonic for Headphones, may report 8 channels to the browser and place each one around your head. You can hear the positions, but how convincing they are depends on that software, not on your headphones.

Something not right?

Tell us if your device wasn't found or a result looks wrong. Your browser, system and device model help us check.

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