Tests / 03 — Frequency range
How high can you hear?
A tone sweeps down from 20 kHz — above almost everyone’s hearing — toward 8 kHz. The moment you hear it appear, hit the button. That’s your ceiling.
Set your volume so this tone is clearly audible but comfortable. Then start the sweep in a quiet room.
Silence is normal at first — the tone is above your range. Press the moment it fades in.
You pressed within the first second — that can be a click artifact rather than the tone. Worth one more run to confirm.
What your ceiling roughly means
High-frequency hearing declines naturally with age (presbycusis). These are typical ballpark figures — not a diagnosis:
| Ceiling | Typical of |
|---|---|
| 18–20 kHz | teens and early 20s |
| 16–18 kHz | 20s to around 30 |
| 14–16 kHz | 30s |
| 12–14 kHz | 40s |
| 10–12 kHz | 50s |
| below 10 kHz | 60+, or noise-exposed ears |
Why results vary
- Volume: louder playback raises your apparent ceiling. That’s why the calibration step matters.
- Bluetooth: some codecs and headsets roll off the extreme treble; wired connections are more honest up top.
- Your device: the sweep can’t exceed half your device’s sample rate — we cap it automatically.
- Tinnitus & fatigue: ringing ears mask faint high tones. Test rested, in silence.
This is a fun indicator, not a medical hearing test. A real audiogram measures thresholds per frequency at calibrated levels — if anything here surprises you, an audiologist can tell you what it actually means.