High Definition Audio Test Files

Foreword

This page gives you access to high definition audio test files, with sample rates as high as 192 kHz. Unlike our other sections, these sounds won't play online: higher sample rates are not your browser's best friends, and cannot be encoded in the mp3 format either. Instead, these high definition files will download straight to your disk as uncompressed .wav files.

The purpose of these test tones is to offer you a way to assess the quality of your digital audio interface or digital-to-analogue converters, when fed with high-definition sample rates. These rates are able to reproduce frequencies beyond the human hearing range but can generate aliasing in the audible range too.

Use the frequency sweep files to determine if what you hear strictly relates to the input file's content, or comes from deficiencies in your high-end digital audio system as well.

High Definition Frequency Sweeps

These sweeps start from 1 Hz up to the Nyquist frequency (half the sample rate) in a 30-second time span (linear time sweep).

The test starts by playing frequencies that are in your hearing range, and then they will steadily increase. As the sweep enters ultrasonic range, the sound will fade away. Listen carefully; the rest of the file should remain perfectly silent.

If you hear anything while the file sweeps the ultra-sonic range, either you have bat-ears, or - more likely - your digital audio system suffers from severe aliasing.

/!\ These files do play frequencies that are above the human hearing range. Don't try to hear a frequency that you will never hear anyway. NEVER TURN THE LEVEL UP beyond a reasonable level. USED IMPROPERLY, THESE FILES WILL DAMAGE YOUR HEARING OR YOUR EQUIPMENT. If you are unsure how to use these files, please do not download them.

Sample Rate	Fmin	Fmax	Level	Duration	time@20kHz	File Size	Download
88.2 kHz	1 Hz	44 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	13 s	5.2 MB	Download
96 kHz	1 Hz	48 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	12 s	5.6 MB	Download
176.4 kHz	1 Hz	88 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	7 s	10.3 MB	Download
192 kHz	1 Hz	96 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	6 s	11.2 MB	Download

High Definition Chirp Tones

Chirp tones are similar to sine sweeps, but span the whole frequency range in a much shorter time: here 0.5 seconds. Use these files to measure frequency responses, or capture room reverberations through the impulse response method.

Sample Rate	Fmin	Fmax	Level	Duration	File Size	Linear	Logarithmic
88.2 kHz	1 Hz	44 kHz	-3 dBFS	0.5 s	0.1 MB	Download	Download
96 kHz	1 Hz	48 kHz	-3 dBFS	0.5 s	0.1 MB	Download	Download
176.4 kHz	1 Hz	88 kHz	-3 dBFS	0.5 s	0.2 MB	Download	Download
192 kHz	1 Hz	96 kHz	-3 dBFS	0.5 s	0.2 MB	Download	Download

High Definition White Noise

White noise is characterized by a flat power spectral density: the signal contains equal power within a fixed bandwidth at any centre frequency.

Sample Rate	Fmin	Fmax	Level	Duration	File Size	Download
88.2 kHz	1 Hz	44 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	5.1 MB	Download
96 kHz	1 Hz	48 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	5.6 MB	Download
176.4 kHz	1 Hz	88 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	10.3 MB	Download
192 kHz	1 Hz	96 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	11.2 MB	Download

High Definition Pink Noise

Pink noise is characterized by a power spectral density that is inversely proportional to the frequency: each octave carries an equal amount of noise power.

Sample Rate	Fmin	Fmax	Level	Duration	File Size	Download
88.2 kHz	1 Hz	44 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	5.1 MB	Download
96 kHz	1 Hz	48 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	5.6 MB	Download
176.4 kHz	1 Hz	88 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	10.3 MB	Download
192 kHz	1 Hz	96 kHz	-3 dBFS	30 s	11.2 MB	Download

Related pages

External Links

High Quality Test Tone Generator (sample rates up to 96kHz)
Advantages and drawbacks of higher sampling rates