10 of the best tracks to test your headphones
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You’ll likely use headphones more than any other piece of hi-fi equipment. At any one time in the What Hi-Fi? office at least half of us are using them (and not exclusively due to our questionable personalities).
We’re well aware there is personal preference in what you want from your headphones – even we aren’t precious enough about hi-fi to assume the success of companies such as Beats is reliant only on good marketing. But by and large, there’s no reason you ought to expect a radically different level of performance to that of your amplifier and speakers. (We’ve also curated some of the best songs to test your speakers.)
You may already have your own playlist to test equipment before you buy it – if not, it’s a worthwhile exercise – but we’ve put together a collection of tracks that will highlight what we believe to be the most important aspects of your headphones’ performance.
Find the accompanying playlist on Apple Music , Deezer , Spotify and Tidal
- Our guide to the best test tracks to trial your hi-fi system
- The best headphones and audiophile headphones you can buy in 2022
Explosions In The Sky – Wilderness
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To test overall balance
Balance isn’t always an easy one for headphone manufacturers to get right. Quite often we find them overloading the bottom end in an overzealous attempt to keep their product from sounding lightweight or rolling off the treble to avoid any sharpness nearer the top of the frequency range.
In order to test the overall balance, you want a track that covers as much of the frequency range as possible. You’ll get that from a lot of orchestral works, but more contemporary pieces can work as well, such as this from Explosions In The Sky. There’s plenty of low-end heft in Wilderness‘s percussive pulse, while some of those guitar harmonics will reach high into the treble frequencies. Prefer something jazzier? We can’t recommend Black Country, New Road’s Instrumental enough for the purpose of testing overall balance (and, of course, just purely enjoying).
View Explosions In The Sky at Amazon
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Helplessly Hoping
To test midrange quality
By and large, the midrange is where you’ll find your vocal lines: pretty important, then. Clarity is, of course, a primary concern, as are stability and warmth. If there isn’t enough midrange support from lower frequencies, vocals can sound thin and lack human quality.
Finding a track with a clear, prominent vocal line is all you need do, but it’s even better if it includes such vocal harmonies as those so consistency delivered by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Helplessly Hoping is a prime example, and your headphones should have the midrange detail and roominess to capture the lusciousness and layering of the harmonies while keeping a hand on the melodic strumming beneath. You certainly shouldn’t feel as though you’re helplessly hoping for more insight.
View Crosby, Still, Nash & Young at Amazon
Darkside – Paper Trails
To test bass control
We mentioned some brands’ tendency to skew the balance toward the bottom end, which we understand suits a certain section of the market. But if that’s what you like, it is perhaps even more important those bass frequencies are articulate and suitably agile.
It isn’t enough for your headphones to make your earlobes wobble if you can’t actually hear what’s going on down there.
A track with a moving bassline will either drive or confuse a performance, depending on the aptitude of your kit. Darkside’s Paper Trails has the added benefit of testing a vocal line deep into the frequency range, which will really highlight the clarity of the bass — or lack thereof.
View Darkside at Amazon
Pharoah Sanders – You’ve Got To Have Freedom
To test treble quality
Coarseness in treble frequencies is probably one of the first things you’ll notice in headphones because it’ll make your ears hurt. If that’s happening once you’ve given your headphones a day or two to run in, you’ll end up wanting to bin them altogether. But sometimes it can go the other way – perhaps in an attempt to rid a performance of any sharpness, manufacturers will roll the frequency range off at the top end.
Either way, you aren’t getting the rich treble frequencies you and your ears deserve. This particular track from Pharoah Sanders finds his saxophone in full-on attack mode.
Without making your ears bleed, it ought to sound like a mother goose being prodded with a knitting needle, and you should accept nothing less.
View Pharoah Sanders at Amazon
Havergal Brian – Symphony No1 in D Minor (The Gothic)
To test detail levels
It’s rare we really criticise a product for lack of detail alone, but when we hear something particularly insightful it can really make a difference. The term itself is pretty self-explanatory: it’s about digging deep into what is being performed, rather than how.
Large-scale orchestral pieces, with a grand range of instruments and timbres, will highlight just how much insight is being delivered. This particular symphony, written by Havergal Brian, is a veritable behemoth, spanning the piccolo to the timpani via two harps and a children’s choir. Live recordings are another decent test: hand-claps are one of the more difficult sounds to reproduce.
View Havergal Brian at Amazon
John Martyn – Small Hours
To test spaciousness
Space may appear a peculiar concept when it comes to sounds being played directly into your ears, but a claustrophobic performance can be the enemy of deeper listening.
You don’t want instruments to sound detached from one another, but each line should have space to breathe.
Again, live performances are a good test as to whether your headphones are able to judge the size of an auditorium – or you can go a step further with this album closer from John Martyn. It was recorded outside, so there is no excuse for Martyn’s guitar to sound at all boxed in.
View John Martyn at Amazon
BadBadNotGood – Speaking Gently
To test rhythm and timing
Anyone who was ever in a school band will know how infuriating it is to play with somebody who can’t keep time – if you didn’t know that, it was probably you. The same goes for hi-fi, and your headphones should be able to make sense of polyrhythm just as adeptly as they lock into a rigid 4/4.
This particular track from BadBadNotGood’s album IV offers a simple, solid beat as it opens, before sprawling into a freer percussive mindset.
Timing also feeds into how instruments interact, how they question each other and then answer. If the performance sounds loose, disorganised or dull, it’s probably down to timing.
View BadBadNotGood at Amazon
Arvo Pärt – Tabula Rasa
To test dynamic range
As good as your four-year-old nephew may be at playing the recorder, you probably don’t want your headphones to play like they’re at a school assembly. A dearth of dynamic range will give you a flat performance, sometimes sounding almost like a rehearsal, undermining any emotion on the original recording.
Pick a piece where small- and large-scale dynamics fluctuate as they do in Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa and you’ll hear whether your headphones are up to the job. It’s often the smaller-scale dynamics that make the greatest impression: those are what will give voices their expression, which will be especially important if you use your headphones for watching films and TV as well.
View Arvo Pärt at Amazon
Kate Bush — Watching You Without Me
To test dynamic subtlety
Really, this Kate Bush masterclass in songwriting, delivery and production can tell you most of what you should know about your headphones – their ability to time, capture midrange detail and, ultimately, track the subtlest of dynamic fluctuations. It’s a great overall test track that we couldn’t overlook for this article.
The reciprocating synths, metronomic drums and bent pizzicato double bass notes interlink to create a delicately textured rhythmic gauze ideal for testing your system’s timing and rhythmic knack. But it’s the dynamics of this track that are truly illuminating, with acres of reverberant space and tonal shade as Kate Bush switches between soft crooning, softer whispers and murmured ‘secret messages’ with words sung backwards.
View Kate Bush on Amazon
Ólafur Arnalds – Ljósi∂
To test subtlety
Getting you out the door and enthused for your run is one thing, but if you use your headphones for anything else then a little subtlety and restraint will be as important as that drive.
This Ólafur Arnalds piece, from his album Found Songs, is a lesson in refinement, with piano keys wanting to be stroked rather than hammered, violin weeping rather than in the midst of a full-on gin-sob. If your headphones can render this as well as they do Black Sabbath, it’ll really pay off in the subdued moments of tracks before they end up letting fly.
View Ólafur Arnalds at Amazon
Farruko – Pepas
To test excitement and drive
All of this may seem like arbitrary box-ticking if your headphones’ performance doesn’t make you want to move. Really, this kind of enthusiasm and drive is a combination of tip-top timing, low-end stability and a good grasp of dynamics. If a piece of equipment ticks those boxes, it’s most of the way to being able to enthuse when a song demands it to.
You can insert your favourite groove-laden track here, but we’ve overcome our instinct to pick that Eurythmics song to go for a more contemporary (and undoubtedly more Marmite) suggestion – Farruko’s Pepas.
If your headphones are doing it right, you’ll be anticipating those beat drops, and you’ll look unhinged to your co-workers as soon as it does.
View Farruko at Amazon
MORE:
- 40 of the best 1990s albums to test your speakers
- 50 great British albums to test your hi-fi system
- Music for sleep: the best ambient albums to help you relax
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The Ultimate Headphones Test
Introduction
This page helps you evaluate headphones or earbuds online, and determine which one offers the best performance when comparing different pairs. Do not forget to bookmark this page — or download the sound files to your portable audio player if you are a patron — when going out shopping for a new pair of headphones or earphones.
All our tests should be performed with the headphones on your ears.
For your convenience, this test is also available on YouTube : The Ultimate ? Headphones Test
Frequency Response
| 10 Hz >> 200 Hz + Voice Over |
The first file tests your headphones’ bass extension. Play back the file until you start hearing the underlying sweeping tone as it rises. The voiceover tells you the frequency you have reached: this number represents the lowest boundary of your headphones or earbuds frequency extension. Good headphones will go as low as 20 Hz, the lowest limit of our hearing.
| 22 kHz >> 8 kHz + Voice Over |
The second file tests your headphones’ treble extension. To measure your headphones’ highest frequency, play back the second file until you start hearing the underlying (high pitched) sweep tone as it descends. Good headphones will reproduce frequencies up to 20 kHz, the upper limit of human hearing range.
Beware though: 1/ this limit decreases as we age. If all of your headphones suddenly exhibit the same upper frequency limit, and this frequency is lower than what is specified by the manufacturer, suspect your hearing, not the quality of your headphones. 2/ If you hear strange ups and downs or anything else that does not sound like a continuously descending sweep, suspect your sound card and aliasing. Have a check → here ← !
Spectral Flatness and Earbud Insert Test
Ideally, you want your headphones to reproduce all frequencies consistently between the lower and upper limits, without a dip or peak in a particular frequency range. Absolute flatness is not exactly what you are looking for, though. Your hearing may not be perfect, and if you think about it, the best headphones are those that compensate for your particular hearing curve. It doesn’t matter if your headphones are not flat, as long as they sound flat through your ears.
| Perceptual Sweep Spectral Flatness Test |
Frequency responses are measured using sine sweeps and special test equipment.
With a prominent sensitivity bump around 1–3 kHz, humans are not good at judging flatness: frequencies in the upper medium range will always sound louder than what they are because of the increased hearing sensitivity. Our test tone is not a regular sweep. It embeds an inverted hearing sensitivity curve that turns it perceptually flat. Our compensation only works at hearing threshold levels: turn your computer level down so that the test tone plays as quietly as possible.
If the sweep keeps playing at your hearing thresholds, your headphones are matched to your ears. If your hearing is perfect, this also means that the headphones have a flat frequency response. If your hearing is imperfect, this then means that your headphones are simply matched to your ears. If the test tone sometimes disappears, or gets too loud, you know you have a problem, either with your hearing or your headphones.
This test is of particular importance for earbuds. Depending on how deep you insert them into your ear canal, their frequency response will change drastically.
Use this test to find which insertion depth gives you the flattest frequency response.
Dynamic Range
Dynamic range represents the ratio between the loudest signal you can hear and the quietest. Dynamic range is not part of any headphone specification, but will help you when benchmarking the isolation offered by your headphone in a noisy environment.
| Dynamic Test + Voice Over |
The file starts by playing noise at a full scale level. Adjust the level in your headphone so that this noise plays loudly, without being uncomfortably loud. Right after the noise, a voice is played back at a specified level, expressed in dBFS (decibels below full scale). Noise references and voiceovers alternate with each other, with the voice being played at decreasing levels. Play the file until you can’t hear the voiceover anymore. The dynamic range that has been reached is given by the level the voice message was playing at when it was still (barely) audible.
The higher the dynamic range reached, the better the isolation offered by your headphones.
In general, «closed» headphones and «in-ear» earphones provide more isolation than the «open» type of headsets.
Quality
| Bass Shaker |
Poorly built or extensively worn headphones may start to rattle whenever loud or deep bass content is played. The next file scans bass frequencies and will literally shake your drivers when turning the level up. Adjust the volume in your headphone so that the test is made at a high level: the sweeping tone should remain pure and clear at all frequencies, without any parasitic buzz or rattle appearing in one earpiece or the other.
Driver Matching
Better headphones have tighter tolerances in the variation of their drivers’ frequency responses. To reproduce a faithful stereo image, the left and the right drivers must respond equally to every frequency in the audible spectrum.
When this condition is fulfilled, the drivers are said to be «matched.»
| Full Range Sweep |
Our driver matching test sweeps all these frequencies (up to 10 kHz) and sends exactly the same levels to both earpieces. Play the test tone at a moderate level and listen: the sweeping tone should keep a perfect central position across all frequencies, playing right in the middle of your head, without any deviation.
A panning that departs from its central position for a particular frequency will highlight poorly matched drivers… or mismatched ears.
To ensure that your headphone’s drivers cause the problem, not your ears, perform the test again, with the earpieces swapped: the left channel now feeding your right ear and vice versa. The panning should now deviate in the opposite direction.
Wiring
| Left | Right |
Headphones that are properly wired will route the left channel to the left earpiece, and the right channel to the right (this makes sense).
More important, relative polarity between drivers must be preserved: when presented with the same input signal, both drivers should move in the same direction, not opposite of each other.
| Center | Twisted |
To test polarity, use the audio files labeled «Center» and «Twisted.» When polarity is preserved, the «Center» test signal will play either from a well defined spot between your ears or in front of you (depending upon how your brain interprets our test signal). The «Twisted» file should be harder to locate in space, sounding like it is being twisted inside your brain. If it feels like the opposite, suspect faulty cabling in your headphones or earbuds.
That would be the last straw if your headphone’s manufacturer made wrong connections, but it sometimes happens as reported with very cheap brands, or counterfeit replicas. It happens more frequently though, when your headphone has been serviced and the four drivers’ wires have been messed-up during the replacement of a worn cable or broken jack.
Testing for polarity issues only makes sense with stereo headphones. If your headphones are mono, the out-of-phase signal — the so called «Twisted» file above — will likely be silent (the sum of a signal and its anti-phase version is zero).
Harmonic Distorsion Test NEW
If the diaphragm of your headphones is unable to move as fast as required, or if its excursion is limited — and it is — distortion will occur. This distortion can easily be heard on a low-frequency sine tone, if you know what a sine tone should sound like. If you don’t, try the following test.
| THD 5% | 1% |
| 0.5% | 0.1% |
| 0.05% | 0.01% |
| 0.005% | 0.001% |
Our test signal consists of a series of 125 Hz sine tones that have deliberately been distorted. Our test signal consists of a series of 125 Hz sine tones that have deliberately been distorted./cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/11083747/akrales_180521_2588_0218.jpg)
The first sine tone has a total harmonic distortion (THD) of 5%; it has been severely damaged. Listen to that file first, and then listen to the others, which have decreasing THD levels. The tone color changes as the distortion decreases, getting closer to the sound of a pure sine tone.
At a certain point, lowering the THD of the test signal will not result in any further change in sound quality. You have reached the point where the distortion you hear is created by your headphones, not by the test signal!
Good headphones should add less than 0.05% THD, and allow you to discriminate our sine tone test down to 0.01% THD.
Binaural Test
| Binaural Test |
Binaural recordings are made by placing microphones directly in one’s ear, capturing the sound that reaches the pinnae. By playing back the recording through headphones, one ensures that each of the listener’s ears get the exact same signal as originally captured.
The result is immersive and truly surprising, but only works with headphones.
Our test signal consists of a binaural recording of someone knocking on wooden doors. When comparing headphones, judge how realistic the recording sounds: do you feel as if the doors are right next to you? Does it sound like real wooden doors?
Ultimately, listen to your favorite music…
| Custom Musical Track |
Last but not least, the ultimate test is to listen to your favorite music, and tracks that you’ve listened to so many times so you know them by heart. We can’t help you with this one, as only you best know, but we can provide you with a short musical test, designed to cover the whole spectrum in a short amount of time.
Happy checking!
Personal Recommendation(s)
From time to time, I receive emails asking for advice on new headphones. As this page seems to be the starting point of most inquiries, I will post my answer below.
As an engineer and professional sound designer, I am looking for a flat frequency response. In my opinion, headphones should sound transparent. If they depart for the ideal flat response, I can tolerate a little emphasis on both the bass and treble extremes: this means that I can listen to my source material at lower levels, and have the headphones simulate the sound I would be hearing if the levels were higher (the human hearing sensitivity at both spectrum ends drops drastically when the sound becomes quieter). Lower listening levels are the secret for sustained hours of work. As I am often wearing headphones several hours a day, comfort and durability are key factors for me. I am lucky to be working in a quiet environment: so, my headphones do not need to block external noises. Rather, I want to understand someone talking to me occasionally, without removing the headphones. An open design represents the best choice in such a case. Compared to closed headphones, open headphones offer a flatter frequency response too, and are much less fatiguing during long working sessions.
The price-quality ratio matters to me. I wish I had an unlimited budget…
I’ve been trying different headphones for 20 years. For a couple of years now, I have set my mind — and ears — on the Sennheiser HD-600. They offer indisputable sound and build quality around USD 500. This may represent a lot of money, but it is a wise investment. Quality headphones will become your best friends over the years — or decades when used with care — which contrasts with the portable electronic equipment they are often connected to. They will also offer you the greatest listening experience that no loudspeaker will ever be able to achieve for the same price. Treat yourself; your ears are worth it! 😉
Other alternatives worth considering are:
-
Recently, I’ve been introduced to variants of the HD 600, made by Sennheiser for wholesaler Drop. Drop is an internet business that buys large shipments directly from suppliers, and offers them at reduced prices. The Drop variants of the HD 600 are called the HD 58X and HD 6XX, and priced $170 and $220 respectively.
So, how do they compare to my original HD 600? They sound as good, and look even better than the HD-600, if you want my true opinion.
- Beyerdynamic DT-990 used to sell for around USD 400 originally, and are now available for less than USD 200. That’s a deal! They are extremely comfortable and offer a very natural sound. Unfortunately, I break cables easily when moving around my desk, forgetting that I’m wearing headphones. That is the only reason I opted for the HD 600 in the end. If you are a careful person, a fixed cable shouldn’t be a problem. The DT-990s are incredible performers, offering an unrivaled level of comfort. At USD 200, it’s an easy decision. Select the 32 Ohm version if you intend to use them with your mobile phone or tablet.
-
Superlux HD668B used to be my «cheapest headphones» recommendation when they first appeared on the market. They are surprisingly good for their price — around USD 40! These headphones are semi-closed, so they will provide a bit of isolation, and they come with a replaceable cord, which is ideal for me.
They’re an excellent choice if you want to hear how good headphones sound without spending money. Compared to more expensive headphones, they feel cheap, but they don’t sound that way. I recommended them as entry-level headphones, with an incredible performance-to-price ratio.
- Samson SR850 are semi-open headphones that are sold $10 more than the Superlux, and sound similar — if not better — but definitely feel more solid and is more comfortable to wear thanks to its velour pads and improved headband. The Samson also accommodates a larger head, such as mine (I feel slightly cramped when wearing the Superlux). Opting for the Samson over the Superlux makes sense to me, unless you are looking for the cheapest alternative.
If you are looking for earbuds, not headphones, try the KZ ZST, it’s amazing what you can get at a price that defies belief — here USD 20.
Related pages
External Links
- Head-Fi.org, headphones forums and reviews
- Headphiles.
org, where Ears and Gears meet
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Selecting AirPods Pro and checking earbud fit
AirPods Pro come with three sizes of silicone earbuds: small, medium and large. Using the correct size earbuds ensures optimum sound quality and superior noise cancellation.
Selecting the correct size earplugs
The earmolds must fit well in the ear canal. When properly sized, noise reduction is more effective and bass sounds richer.
AirPods Pro (2nd generation) come in four sizes of earbuds. The medium sized earbuds are already installed. The extra small, small, and large earbuds are located under the tray in the AirPods Pro earbud box and nested in the coiled charging cable.
AirPods Pro (1st generation) comes with three sizes of ear tips. The medium-sized earbuds are already installed, while the small and large earbuds are located under the tray in the AirPods Pro earbud box and nested in the coiled charging cable.
Ear tips designed specifically for the corresponding generation of AirPods Pro to provide the highest sound quality.
So use the ear tips that come with your AirPods Pro. AirPods Pro (1st generation) earbuds have a noticeably denser mesh than AirPods Pro (2nd generation) earbuds.
To determine the size of the earmold, unfold the edge and look for the XS, S, M, or L markings on the inside of the earmold near the base of the earmold.
First, put on your AirPods with medium-sized earbuds and see if they fit well. If the headphones do not fit snugly, try adjusting them or use larger eartips. If the earbuds feel too big or are uncomfortable, use a smaller size earbud.
You can purchase a new set of earbuds from the Apple Online Store for AirPods Pro (1st generation) or AirPods Pro (2nd generation). Alternatively, you can purchase a set of earbuds from the Apple Store or other authorized reseller.
If you are not sure about the size of the earbuds, use the ear fit test
If you have doubts about sound quality and noise reduction, you can check the fit of the earbuds.