Audio latency test

This audio latency test measures a loop from sound output back to sound input. The page plays short clicks through your selected audio output and records them with your microphone, with audio processing off. It measures the time between playing each click and capturing it.

That result includes the path through the speaker and microphone as well as delay in the browser's audio handling. The page takes account of the browser's reported output latency and base latency when it calculates the round trip. The result is a measure of this setup, not a reading from the headphones alone.

The test repeats the measurement 10 times and shows the median. A median is the middle result after the readings are put in order, so a single unusually high or low reading has less effect on it. The page also shows what the browser reports as output latency, which is a separate reading from the speaker-to-microphone loopback.

The loopback result is shown in milliseconds. It tells you how much time passed between a click being played and the microphone capturing it, after the browser-reported output and base latency are accounted for. A larger number means a longer measured round trip in the setup you used.

Output latency is the browser's own report of delay on the audio output side. It is not the same as the loopback result, because the loopback also includes the sound reaching the microphone and being captured. Read the two values together to understand what the browser reports and what the full speaker-to-microphone test measured.

There is no pass or fail threshold provided for this test. Judge the result by comparing the connections under the same conditions, and by whether the delay is acceptable for what you want to do. This is a timing check, not a test of sound quality.

To compare wired and Bluetooth audio, run the test once with one connection, then run it again with the other. The page compares the median loopback readings from the two runs. A lower reading means the measured round trip was shorter in that run.

Keep the rest of the setup as similar as you can between runs. Use the same speaker or headphones and microphone where possible, and keep their placement consistent. If you change several parts of the setup at once, the readings cannot show which change affected the result.

This comparison describes the tested setup. It does not establish that every wired or Bluetooth device will have the same delay, and the browser's output latency report may differ between runs. Use the measured values as a practical comparison rather than a universal rating.

A high loopback reading means the click took longer to travel from output to microphone in that test. It does not identify one cause by itself. The result may reflect the audio route, the browser's reported timing, or how the speaker and microphone were arranged.

If the result is much higher than expected, check that the intended output and microphone were used and that the microphone could capture the clicks. Make sure the two devices are positioned consistently, then run the test again. Compare repeated runs and look at the median rather than relying on one reading.

If the browser-reported output latency is high while the loopback result is also high, the output side may be contributing to the measured delay. If the values do not seem to match, remember that loopback includes the trip back through the microphone.