Audio Reaction Time Test
Turn your sound on, start the test and press the moment you hear the beep. Nothing on screen changes, so your ears are the only cue.
- Beep on the audio clock
- Output delay corrected
- Sound vs sight comparison
- No visual cue
Your times against the average
Dots are your attempts, the solid line is your median and the curve shows the usual spread of online scores.
Your history on this device
Finished rounds appear here with your personal best. They are stored only in this browser and never sent anywhere.
What is an auditory reaction time test?
An auditory reaction time test measures how fast you respond to a sound. After a random wait, this test plays a short 1 kHz beep through your speakers or headphones, and you click, tap or press Space as soon as you hear it. The beep is scheduled on the Web Audio clock, and the test converts that moment to the same clock your press is stamped with, using the output timestamp your browser reports. That removes the time the browser takes to pass audio to your sound hardware. Nothing on screen changes when the beep plays, so you cannot react to a flicker. In lab studies people respond to sound faster than to light, typically by around 30 to 50 ms, and if you have taken the visual reaction time test in this browser, the page shows your own gap.
How to test your auditory reaction time
- Turn the volume up and select Test sound to check you can hear the beep.
- Click or tap the box, or press Space, to start. You can look wherever you like.
- After a random wait of 1.5 to 5 seconds a short beep plays. Press as fast as you can.
- Your time appears after each beep. After five beeps you get your median, best and consistency.
- Take the visual reaction time test too, and this page compares your sound and sight medians.
Why use this auditory reaction test
- Sound is the only cueThe screen does not change when the beep plays, so you are measuring your hearing reaction, not your eyes.
- Delay correctedThe beep time comes from the audio clock and your browser's output timestamp, so buffering in the browser is not counted.
- Compare your sensesSee your sound median next to your latest visual median from the reaction time test.
- Your history stays on this deviceEvery session is saved in this browser with your personal best. No account, nothing sent to a server, and one button clears it.
Common uses for an audio reaction test
- Sprint and swim starts. Races start on a sound, so practise reacting to a beep rather than a light.
- Measuring Bluetooth delay. Run the test with wired audio, then with Bluetooth. The difference in median is roughly your Bluetooth delay.
- School experiments. Compare reactions to sound and sight, or with and without music playing.
- Rhythm and music games. Check whether your audio setup is fast enough before you calibrate a game.
What adds delay to an audio reaction test
| Audio path | Typical extra delay | Handled by this test |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in speakers or wired headphones | A few milliseconds | Mostly, when the browser reports it |
| Browser audio buffer | Varies, often 10 to 40 ms | Yes, removed using the output timestamp |
| USB audio interface | A few milliseconds | Usually reported by the browser |
| HDMI to a TV or soundbar | Often tens of milliseconds or more | Not visible to the browser |
| Bluetooth headphones or speakers | Roughly 100 to 300 ms | Not visible to the browser |
How to measure your Bluetooth delay
- Run a 10 attempt round with wired headphones or your device's speakers and note the median.
- Connect your Bluetooth headphones and run another 10 attempt round.
- Subtract the first median from the second. The difference is roughly the delay your Bluetooth audio adds, which is useful when you set audio offset in rhythm games or video calls.
What your score includes
Your result is the time from the moment the beep leaves your audio output to the moment your device registers the press. The beep is scheduled on the Web Audio clock and mapped to the page clock with the output timestamp your browser reports, so browser audio buffering is removed. Anything after the audio output, such as Bluetooth, is still included.
| Part of the chain | Typical delay | How to reduce it |
|---|---|---|
| Audio output | A few ms wired, roughly 100 to 300 ms over Bluetooth | Use wired headphones or built-in speakers |
| Mouse | 1 ms at 1000 Hz polling, up to 8 ms at 125 Hz | A wired or gaming wireless mouse |
| Touchscreen | Often tens of milliseconds | Compare scores on the same device |
| Keyboard | A few ms on gaming keyboards, more on some laptop keyboards | Use the same input every time |
| Browser and page | Removed by the timestamps described above | Nothing to do |
Example: sound against sight
A run of 198, 214, 187, 205 and 223 ms gives a median of 205 ms. If your last visual test median was 251 ms, the page shows that you react 46 ms faster to sound, which is a normal gap. If your audio result is slower than your visual one, check whether you are using Bluetooth headphones: their delay alone can be longer than your reaction.
What to expect from the result
Wired headphones and built-in speakers add only a few milliseconds, and the output delay your browser reports is already removed. Bluetooth headphones and speakers add roughly 100 to 300 ms that browsers usually cannot see, so they make your score look much slower. TVs, soundbars and some phones add processing delay too. On iPhone the silent switch can mute the beep; the page asks for playback audio, but check the switch if you hear nothing.
Audio reaction time test FAQ
Is auditory reaction time faster than visual?
Yes, for most people. Sound signals reach the brain faster than signals from the eye, so simple reactions to a sound are usually a few tens of milliseconds quicker than reactions to a light. Take both tests on the same device to see your own difference.
Why is my audio reaction time so slow?
Usually Bluetooth. Wireless audio adds around 100 to 300 ms that the browser cannot measure. Use wired headphones or the built-in speakers, and switch off spatial audio or sound enhancement effects.
What is a good auditory reaction time?
On a computer with wired audio, under 200 ms is fast, 200 to 250 ms is typical and over 300 ms usually points to a slow audio path or a distraction. Lab measurements without device delay are lower, often around 150 ms.
Does the test remove audio latency?
It removes what the browser knows about: the time from scheduling the beep to the audio output, using the output timestamp your browser reports. It cannot see delay added after that, such as Bluetooth transmission or a TV or soundbar.
Why can I not hear the beep?
Check the volume and the selected output device, then select Test sound. On iPhone, also check the silent switch. Some browsers only allow sound after you interact with the page, so tap the box once more if the first beep does not play.
Are my results saved or sent anywhere?
Your results are saved only in this browser, so you can see your history and personal best next time. Nothing is sent to a server, there is no account, and you can clear the history at any time.
More reaction and input tests
Try the reaction time test, F1 reaction test, ruler drop test or driving reaction time test. To check the hardware behind your score, run the refresh rate test, mouse test or keyboard test, or see how fast you can click with the CPS test. All of them are in the device tests collection.