Decibel Shield
Online Hearing Test
An online hearing test plays quiet tones at different pitches, one ear at a time, and asks for the softest level you can still hear. The results plot a hearing chart that can hint at a difference between your ears. It runs in your browser, needs headphones and no microphone, and is a screening, not a medical diagnosis.
Online hearing test
A quick per-ear check across the speech range (250 Hz–8 kHz). For each tone you lower the volume to the quietest you can still hear — we chart the result. Headphones required. No microphone, nothing recorded.
~2 minutes. A screening for awareness, not a medical diagnosis.
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What is an online hearing test?
It is a home version of the pure-tone test an audiologist runs. Some people look for it as an online ear test, a hearing screening or hearing exam, or a way to test your ears online; it is all the same idea — a quick check of how well you hear across pitches. Soft tones are played at a range of pitches — here 250 Hz to 8 kHz — one ear at a time, and you find the quietest level you can still hear at each. Those points draw a chart (an audiogram) of how sensitive your hearing is across pitches. It’s a useful awareness check, but it is uncalibrated, so treat the shape as a signal, not a measurement.
How does this test work?
- Headphones and a comfortable level. A 1,000 Hz tone lets you set a starting volume — you’ll turn each tone down from there.
- Find each threshold. For every pitch, in each ear, lower the slider until the tone is the quietest you can just hear, then continue. Twelve quick steps in all.
- Read your chart. Your thresholds plot a per-ear line. Higher on the chart means you heard that pitch at a quieter level; a clear gap between the two ears is highlighted.
How accurate is it?
Honestly, it’s a screening. The levels are relative to this test, not calibrated decibels of hearing level (dB HL), so your headphones, your volume, and the room all move the result — cheap earbuds alone can shift the high frequencies a lot. It cannot diagnose hearing loss, and a clean chart doesn’t prove your hearing is perfect. For a real assessment, an audiologist uses calibrated equipment in a quiet booth. Our accuracy & calibration page explains why home audio can’t be calibrated.
When should I see an audiologist?
Book a real evaluation if your two ears test clearly differently, if you have ringing (tinnitus), a blocked or painful ear, sudden changes, or trouble following conversations in noise. A home screen can flag these but can’t work them up. Much hearing loss is preventable noise damage — the online decibel meter shows how loud your surroundings are, and the hearing age test checks your high-frequency ceiling.
Does it use my microphone or record anything?
No microphone is used or requested — the test only plays tones outward. Nothing is recorded, stored, or uploaded; it all runs locally in your browser and disappears when you close the tab.
Common questions
What is an online hearing test?
It plays soft pure tones at several pitches, one ear at a time, and asks for the quietest level you can still hear at each. Those points plot a rough hearing chart (an audiogram shape) that can hint at how your hearing varies by pitch and whether your two ears differ.
How accurate is an online hearing test?
It is a screening, not a measurement. The levels are relative to this test, not calibrated decibels of hearing level (dB HL), so your headphones, volume and background noise change the result. Use it for awareness, not as a verdict — only an audiologist measures hearing properly.
Is this the same as an audiogram from an audiologist?
No. A clinical audiogram is done with calibrated equipment in a sound-treated booth and is plotted in dB HL. This is an uncalibrated home version that shows the same shape but not true thresholds. It can flag something worth checking; it cannot diagnose.
What does it mean if my two ears are different?
A clear gap between your ears is the one result worth acting on, even if both seem fine — asymmetry can have causes a professional should look at. The test highlights it when it appears, but a home screen can be thrown off by your headphones, so confirm with a real evaluation.
Does it use my microphone or record anything?
No microphone. The test only plays tones out through your headphones; it captures nothing and uploads nothing. Everything runs locally in your browser and is gone when you close the tab.