Hyperacusis is reduced tolerance to ordinary sound, where everyday noises feel uncomfortably or painfully loud even though your hearing sensitivity may be normal. It often occurs alongside tinnitus and is treatable with professional support.

Yes. The volume is hard-capped well below harmful levels, you control it entirely, and a Stop button is always visible. It never asks you to push toward pain — discomfort is your cue to stop, and that's the answer we use.

Why don't you give me a decibel number?

Because a web browser can't know your true output level, any decibel figure would be misleading — and for a safety-focused screen, a precise loudness-discomfort number isn't appropriate. We report a comfort category instead and point you to an audiologist for proper measurement.

Hearing

Sound Tolerance Test

A safe, volume-capped check for hyperacusis: find out if everyday sounds feel uncomfortably loud.

~4 minTime

Sound-tolerance self-check (hyperacusis, categorical)Method

FreeCost

Before you start

Use headphones and a quiet room. Set your volume to a comfortable, moderate level before you begin.

How it works

1You hold the control — Start a gentle sound and raise it only as far as feels okay.
2Stop any time — A Stop button is always on screen — the volume is capped low.
3Describe the comfort — Tell us how it felt; we report comfort, never a decibel level.

1Start gently — Begin quiet and increase slowly; there's no goal to reach a high level.
2Never push into discomfort — The moment something feels unpleasant, stop — that itself is the answer.
3Headphones at your normal setting — Don't pre-raise your system volume; let the in-test control do the work.
4Stop is always available — One tap silences everything immediately.

you stay in control

4′

Sound-tolerance self-check (hyperacusis, categorical)

What it measures

Your tolerance for everyday sound levels — a screen for hyperacusis, where ordinary sounds feel uncomfortably or even painfully loud. It reports a simple comfort category, not a number, by letting you explore a gentle, hard-capped sound entirely at your own pace.

How it works

Unlike a clinical loudness-discomfort-level (LDL) test, this never climbs toward pain. You control a speech-shaped sound whose volume is hard-capped well below any harmful level, raise it only as far as is comfortable, and then describe how the loudest point felt. Your answer is mapped to a comfort category — that's all we record.

Tips for an accurate result

1This is not a tolerance challenge — There's nothing to ‘win’ — honest comfort is the only useful answer.
2Don't rely on constant earplugs — Over-protecting quiet environments can worsen sound sensitivity over time.
3Note any tinnitus link — Hyperacusis and tinnitus often occur together; the tinnitus impact test pairs well here.
4See a professional if sounds hurt — Genuine pain from everyday sound deserves an audiology assessment.