Hearing test
Start your hearing test, and keep the result.
You are about four minutes away from a clear answer.
Free. No purchase required. Headphones recommended.
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About this test
Soundware is built on the digits-in-noise method used in hearing research, and it runs entirely in your browser. It asks you to type back three spoken numbers heard over background noise, and it adjusts after every answer until it finds the point where speech starts to disappear for you. That point is your result, and it is kept, so the test you take in three months has something to be measured against. It is free, and a Soundbites purchase is not required.
The Soundware hearing test is for your own understanding. It is not a substitute for a professional audiological evaluation and does not diagnose hearing conditions.
What it measures
Two tests, because hearing fails in two different ways.
Most online hearing tests only do the second of these. Doing both is what makes the result worth keeping, because they can move independently and the difference between them is the interesting part.
Speech in noise
About 4 minutesThree spoken digits, with noise behind them, twenty-three times. You type back what you heard. Every correct answer makes the noise harder and every miss eases it off, so instead of counting right answers the test closes in on the exact level where speech stops separating from the noise for you.
This is the thing people actually notice first: following one voice in a busy room. A standard tone test can look completely normal while this does not.
Tone test
3 to 4 minutesQuiet tones at 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 Hz, one ear at a time, getting softer until you stop hearing them. You tap the moment you hear one. That gives the quietest level you can detect at each frequency, in each ear.
It is the measurement a clinic starts with, and it covers the frequencies that carry consonants, which is where speech clarity lives.
Two short surveys about tinnitus and sound sensitivity are offered as well. They are optional, and skipping them does not change either test result.
What happens
No surprises. Here is the whole thing.
Six steps, about four minutes, and you can stop at any point and pick it up later.
- 01
Make a free account
It takes a moment and there is no card. The account is what lets us keep your result, which is the only way the next test can mean anything.
- 02
Headphones on, quiet room
Any decent pair will do, the ones you already own are fine. The test sends different sound to each ear, so headphones are not optional. Background noise changes the result, so pick the quietest room in the house. If you wear hearing aids, use them during the test.
- 03
Set your volume
A short setup step gets your level right before anything is measured, then plays two tones to check both sides of your headphones are actually working. Your setting is saved, so next time it is one tap.
- 04
Three practice rounds
You hear three spoken digits with noise behind them, and you type the three digits back. That is the whole task. The practice rounds are easy on purpose, and they do not count.
- 05
Then 23 for real
Every time you get one right the noise gets harder, and every time you miss it eases off. That is how it closes in on the exact point where speech starts to slip away from you, rather than just counting right answers.
- 06
Get your result
Where you sit, in plain words, with the number behind it if you want it. Saved as your baseline. Come back in twelve weeks and you will have a second point to put beside it.
The result
A number, and what it means.
Where you sit, in plain words, with the measurement behind it if you want it. Saved the moment you finish, so the next test has something to be compared against.
Why take it more than once
One test is a number. Two is a direction.
Hearing changes slowly. That is exactly why it is hard to notice: there is nothing to compare today against. Every other online hearing test hands you a single reading and sends you on your way. Soundware keeps yours, so the second one means something and the third one means more.
It is the same reason you weigh yourself more than once, or take your blood pressure more than once. The reading is not the point. The direction is.
More check-ins help you see the pattern over time.
Illustrative data, not a customer result or a predicted outcome. Use the same headphones and a similar quiet setting when comparing your own tests.
The whole thing
Rather watch it than read about it?
Things people ask before they start.
Free means free. There is no card and nothing turns into a subscription.
Is it really free?
Yes. Soundware is free for everyone, whether or not you have ever bought anything from us. There is no card and no trial that turns into a subscription.
How long does it take?
About four minutes for the speech test, which is the one that matters most. If you go on and do the full set, which adds a tone test and two short surveys, allow ten to fifteen minutes.
Do I need special headphones?
No. Any reasonable pair works, including the ones that came with your phone. You do need headphones rather than a speaker, because the test sends different sound to each ear. What matters just as much is a quiet room, since background noise sits on top of the noise in the test and changes what you hear.
Why do I have to make an account?
Because the whole idea is to compare this test to the next one. Without somewhere to keep your result, you would get a number today and nothing to put beside it in three months.
Is this a diagnosis?
No. Soundware gives you a clear, repeatable reading of your own hearing over time. It is not a substitute for a professional audiological evaluation and it does not diagnose anything.
How often should I take it?
Once to set your baseline, then again about twelve weeks later. After that, whenever you like. We send a reminder when your twelve weeks are up, so you do not have to keep track of it.
Four minutes, and you will know where you stand.
Free, at home, and yours to retake whenever you want.
Start testFree. No purchase required. Headphones recommended.
Soundware is built on validated clinical frameworks and is designed to give you a clear, ongoing picture of your hearing. It is not a substitute for a professional audiological evaluation and does not diagnose or treat hearing conditions.