Left / Right (Stereo) Sound Test

Background

A simple stereo test which checks if your speakers are correctly associated with their respective channels.

When your audio connectors are color-coded, red is associated with the Right channel, by convention. It won't sound any better, but will help you to make the "right" choice when your audio cables are in a mess!

Stereophonic sound was pioneerd by Alan Dower Blumlein in 1931. Until then, people believed the ideal system consisted of an infinite number of microphones reproduced through an infinite number of speakers. Blumlein showed how two independent channels could be used to create the illusion of directionality. We only have two ears anyway...

The test files

If your left speaker plays right, it's wrong! Swap your speakers - or better, your speaker connections - and you're done.

As you are checking your speakers, checking their relative polarity is very important too!

Related pages

Other Stereo Tests

• Relative Polarity Stereo Test
• Stereo Imaging Test

External Links

• Stereophonic sound @ Wikipedia