React to a sound.
Test how fast you react to a beep in your browser, with the sound timed on your device's audio clock. Headphones, speakers and what they add, explained.
By Suraj Kumar3 min read
Runners start on a gun, not a light, and for good reason: people often react to a sound a little faster than to a sight. The sound reaction test lets you find your own.
How it works.
Turn your sound on and press Start. After a wait you cannot guess, a short beep plays; press Space, Enter or click the moment you hear it. The screen does not change, so only your ears tell you.
The beep is scheduled on the audio clock and placed on the page's clock, so it is timed from when the browser plays it, not from when the page asked.
Your headphones are in the result.
Sound takes time to leave the device. Wired headphones and built-in speakers add little; Bluetooth headphones can add a tenth of a second or more, which no page can see. Use the same output each time you compare.
Sound against sight.
Take the colour test too and compare your middle tries. Many people are a little quicker to sound, but your devices decide part of the gap.
Further reading
Topics: sound reaction time test · audio reaction time · auditory reaction time · reaction to sound · beep reaction test · hearing reaction time
A little less theory. A little more doing.
Try it on your own terms, with a free browser tool.
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