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Online Hearing Check
IN SHORT
An online hearing check is a five minute screening you take at home through headphones. It plays tones and speech at different levels and estimates whether your hearing is likely to be in the normal range. It is a useful first step, not a diagnosis. Only a hearing test in the clinic can measure your thresholds ear by ear and identify what is causing a loss.
Three things to sort out first
A screening is only as good as the conditions you take it in. Two minutes of setup is the difference between a result that means something and a result that just measures your kitchen.
Use headphones
Earbuds or over-ear headphones both work. Laptop and phone speakers cannot test your ears separately, and most of what this check looks for is the difference between them.
Find a quiet room
Background noise masks the quiet sounds the check is listening for, so a television or an air conditioner will push your result worse than your hearing actually is.
Set the volume once
Play something familiar first and set the level so it sounds normal to you. Then leave it alone for the whole check. Changing it partway through invalidates the comparison.
Take the check
Headphones on, quiet room, comfortable volume. The check runs in the panel below and takes about five minutes. If you would rather skip straight to the real thing, a hearing consultation at our Marietta office takes about 45 minutes.
The check is provided by Starkey, the manufacturer behind Audibel. It runs in your browser and does not ask for your email address.
What a screening can and cannot tell you
Being straight about this matters more than the result itself. A browser cannot be calibrated, so what you are getting is a sensible indication, not a measurement.
What it can tell you
- Whether your responses look typical for your age, or whether something is off.
- Whether one ear is performing noticeably differently from the other.
- Whether the trouble you notice in busy restaurants shows up under controlled conditions.
- Whether it is worth booking a proper hearing test.
What it cannot tell you
- Your hearing thresholds in decibels. Your headphones, sound card and operating system all change the level that actually reaches your ear.
- What is causing a loss. Wax, fluid behind the eardrum, a perforation and nerve damage can all produce a similar screening result.
- What your ear canal and eardrum look like, which needs an otoscope.
- Anything precise enough to program a hearing aid from.
How it compares with a real hearing test
The difference is what you walk away with.
| Online hearing check | Hearing test at our office | |
|---|---|---|
| How long | About 5 minutes | About 45 minutes |
| Equipment | Your own headphones, uncalibrated | Calibrated audiometer in a sound treated booth |
| What it produces | An indication of whether your hearing looks typical | An audiogram: your thresholds at each frequency, ear by ear |
| Looks in your ear | No | Yes, video otoscopy of the canal and eardrum |
| Speech in noise | Limited | Yes, tested separately from tones |
| Can identify a cause | No | Yes, with a case history and examination |
| Can be used to fit hearing aids | No | Yes |
What your result means
Whatever the screening says, the useful question is what you do next.
- It says your hearing looks normal. Good. If you still find yourself struggling in restaurants or asking people to repeat themselves, book a test anyway. Difficulty understanding speech in noise often shows up before a screening picks anything up.
- It suggests a mild loss. This is the stage people sit on, often for seven to ten years. It is also the stage where the brain adapts to hearing aids most easily, so acting now is genuinely easier than acting later.
- It suggests a moderate or greater loss. Book a hearing test. It is also worth ruling out wax and middle ear fluid, both of which are quick to check and often quick to fix.
- You could not complete it. That is usually equipment rather than hearing. Call us and we will book you in instead.
Do not use a screening to wait out these symptoms
Some hearing problems are time sensitive, and a home screening is the wrong tool for them. Call us on 770-590-8662, or contact your doctor, if any of the following apply.
- Hearing that dropped suddenly, over hours or a few days, especially in one ear. This is treated as urgent and outcomes are better the sooner it is seen.
- A clear difference between your two ears that you have not had checked.
- Ear pain, drainage or bleeding from the ear.
- Dizziness or vertigo alongside the hearing change.
- Ringing in one ear only, or ringing that pulses in time with your heartbeat.
Common questions
Are online hearing tests accurate?
An online hearing check is reasonably good at sorting people into likely normal and likely reduced hearing, and that is what it is designed for. It cannot be accurate in the clinical sense because your headphones, sound card and operating system all change the level reaching your ear, and none of it is calibrated. Treat the result as a prompt, not a measurement.
Do I have to pay for the online hearing check?
The online check does not ask for payment or an email address. A hearing consultation at our Marietta office is a scheduled appointment. There is no obligation to buy anything afterwards. The check does not ask for payment details at any point.
Do I need headphones for an online hearing check?
Yes. Speakers play the same sound into both ears at once, so the check cannot tell your ears apart, and any difference between them is the single most useful thing a screening can flag. Earbuds and over-ear headphones both work fine. Wired tends to be slightly more consistent than Bluetooth.
How long does the online hearing check take?
About five minutes, including setting your volume. You do not need to create an account or give an email address to see your result. A full hearing test at our office takes about 45 minutes because it includes an ear examination, tone testing, speech testing and time to talk through what the results mean.
Can an online hearing check diagnose hearing loss?
No. A screening indicates whether your hearing is likely to be reduced. Diagnosing hearing loss means measuring your thresholds on calibrated equipment, examining your ear canal and eardrum, testing how well you understand speech, and identifying the cause. Wax, fluid, a perforation and nerve damage can all look similar in a screening and are treated completely differently.
What is the difference between an online hearing check and a hearing test?
The check is a five minute screening you take at home on your own equipment, and it gives you an indication. A hearing test is a 45 minute appointment on calibrated equipment in a sound treated booth, and it gives you an audiogram: your exact thresholds at each frequency in each ear, plus an examination and an explanation. Only the second one can be used to fit hearing aids.
Do I have to give my email address?
No. The check shows your result on screen without asking you to register. If you want a copy of your results or want to talk them through, you can call us or book an appointment, but nothing is required to take the check itself.
The check says my hearing is fine but I still struggle to follow conversations. What now?
Book a hearing test. Understanding speech in a noisy room depends on more than the quiet tones a screening measures, and it is common to have normal or near normal thresholds while still struggling in restaurants and meetings. That pattern is worth investigating properly rather than dismissing.
A screening points. A hearing test answers.
Mark Stevenson has been fitting hearing aids in Cobb County for 25 years. A consultation takes about 45 minutes, and you leave knowing exactly where you stand.