How to test your laptop speakers
- Unplug headphones and disconnect Bluetooth audio, then check that the output is set to the built-in speakers: in Settings › System › Sound on Windows 11, or System Settings › Sound › Output on a Mac.
- Sit centred in front of the keyboard. Press Left, then Right. Many laptops have their speakers under the keyboard or firing down from the base, so the sound seems to come from low down, but it should still move clearly from one side to the other.
- Press Both: the sound should sit in the middle of the screen.
- Open the Bass tab. On this page it holds tones from 1 kHz down to 63 Hz instead of the full test’s 120 to 20 Hz. Start at the top and work down: the lowest tone you still hear as a clear note is where your laptop’s bass starts. Below it you’ll hear a faint buzz or nothing.
- Bass sweep 1 kHz → 50 Hz glides through the same range. Listen for the point where the tone thins out, and for any rattle along the way.
The higher tones sound much louder than the low ones at the same setting, so keep the volume low and raise it only if you need to.
Where laptop bass runs out
THX puts it plainly: the smaller the speaker, the more you compromise in output and low-frequency performance. Notebookcheck, which measures the speakers of the laptops it reviews, rates bass between 100 and 315 Hz. The tones here are the standard third-octave frequencies from ISO 266 (63, 80, 100, 125 Hz and so on), the same steps used in audio measurements, so your result lines up with the frequency-response graphs in reviews. Compare the two sides too: set the sweep on the Sweep tab to Left only, then Right only. A matched pair should fade out at the same point.
If one side is silent or quieter
Before you suspect the hardware, check the settings that turn a side down or mix it away:
- Windows 11: in Settings › System › Sound, select your speakers, go to their Volume settings and set the Left and Right channels to the same level. Microsoft’s fix for Bluetooth audio playing in one channel uses the same setting. Mono audio is in Settings › Accessibility › Audio and must be off.
- Mac: in System Settings › Sound › Output, select the built-in speakers and drag the Balance slider to the middle. Turn off Play stereo audio as mono in System Settings › Accessibility › Audio.
- Crackling or distortion on Windows: in Settings › System › Sound, select your speakers under Output and set Audio enhancements to Off. Microsoft notes that enhancements can cause distortion or crackling on some devices.
If the settings are right and one speaker still buzzes, rattles or stays silent, run the blown speaker test through that side. For earbuds and headphones, the headphone balance test measures how much quieter one side is, and the full speaker test has the phase check and a 20 Hz to 20 kHz sweep.