• 🔊 Speaker Polarity Test

    Test the relative polarity of your speakers or subwoofers using a short low-frequency pulse. Compare normal and reversed polarity to help identify wiring or phase-related problems.

    ⚠️ Important: This is a listening-based polarity test and cannot guarantee the electrical polarity of your speaker system. Room acoustics, speaker placement, crossover settings, delays, and multiple speakers can affect what you hear. Start at a low volume, especially when testing subwoofers.
    -18 dBFS
    Ready Choose a test below.
    🔊 How To Test Speaker Polarity

    Place yourself in the normal listening position and start with the volume turned down. Play the Normal Polarity pulse and listen carefully. Then play the Reversed Polarity pulse.

    With a single speaker, polarity can sometimes be checked by observing the speaker cone movement directly, but many modern speaker systems make this difficult or impossible. With multiple speakers or a subwoofer, listening for changes in bass response can provide clues about relative polarity.

    If a subwoofer and main speakers have opposite polarity, certain frequencies around the crossover region can partially cancel. This may result in weaker or less coherent bass.

    💡 Tip: For a subwoofer system, try the test around your crossover frequency. If switching polarity produces a noticeable change in bass response, that can indicate a polarity or timing relationship worth investigating. However, maximum bass does not automatically prove correct polarity; speaker distance, acoustic phase, crossover design, and delay can also affect the result.
  • A Speaker Polarity Test helps musicians, producers, recording engineers, home-studio owners, and audio enthusiasts check the relative polarity of speakers and subwoofers. The tool generates a low-frequency test pulse that can be played with normal or reversed polarity so you can compare the response of your audio system.

    Correct relative polarity is particularly important when using multiple speakers, studio monitors, PA systems, or subwoofers. When speakers that are supposed to work together have opposite polarity, certain frequencies can partially cancel each other, potentially producing weaker or less coherent bass.

    The test includes Normal Polarity, Reversed Polarity, and Alternating Polarity modes, along with several test frequencies. You can also test the left speaker, right speaker, or both speakers.

    Tip: When testing a subwoofer, try a frequency around your system's crossover region. Listen for changes in bass response when switching between normal and reversed polarity. However, polarity isn't the same as acoustic phase—speaker distance, crossover settings, timing, and room acoustics can all affect what you hear. This tool is therefore best used as a troubleshooting aid rather than definitive proof of electrical polarity.