What? - (Bill's Hearing Test) is a multi-platform, graphical, hearing test program. It plays a series of tones at random frequencies and increasing volume or as indicated by a click on the graph. Reject the tone to go on to the next higher volume or accept the tone to go on to the next frequency.
Test results are relative, not absolute, because the chain of audio from your computer to your headphones to your ears is not calibrated. They can be used to compare hearing between ears and monitor changes over time but not to set absolute gain on a hearing device.
The gain (amplitude) of tones is shown in dB with 0 dB the maximum volume.
The Y-axis of the graph is hearing loss in dB, that is, the gain required for a hearing aid to bring a tone at the indicated frequency to a normal level.
Screenshot of What? after completing a hearing test.
- Multi-platform: Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- Standalone desktop application.
- No data shared with others.
- Settable frequency range, default 250 -> 16,000 Hz.
- Settable frequency points/octave, default 4; gain points/10dB, default 1.
- Hearing loss range: 0 -> 80 dB.
- Audiogram saved in image file.
Audiogram saved from the above hearing test.
- Go to a quiet room and put on a pair of headphones.
- Launch What?
- Press Space.
- Press Right-Arrow if you heard a tone, Left-Arrow if not.
- Repeat prior two steps until All done notice appears.
- Press Save to copy the audiogram to a file.
- Indicator Square Green while a tone is playing
- Gain The gain (or amplitude) of the current tone in dB.
- Pitch The frequency (or pitch) of the current tone in Hz.
- Step Shows the progress through the series test frequencies. The position in the series is not affected by clicking in the graph.
- Space / Down-Arrow Play the next tone of the test sequence. Repeat the current tone on successive presses until the tone is accepted or rejected.
- Up-Arrow Repeat the current tone.
- Left-Arrow Reject the current tone. Increase the gain on the next Play, advance to the next frequency when maximum gain reached. Rejected tones are marked with a red dot.
- Right-Arrow Accept the current tone. Advance to the next frequency at the lowest gain on the next Play. Accepted tones are marked with a blue dot and are saved for the audiogram.
- Backspace Backup through the sequence of test tones or tones as placed with a click, whichever was the most recent. Removes the marker from the graph.
You can change your mind between accept or reject any time before playing the next tone in the sequence and you can repeat a tone any time before accept or reject. You can change your mind after playing the next tone or tones in the sequence with Backspace. You can also backup through the most recent series of tones placed with a mouse click with Backspace.
-
Click in the graph to Play a tone at the indicated frequency and gain. Accept or reject the tone or continue in the test sequence using the keyboard as above. Use this to make adjustments in test-tone gains near the threshold of hearing for finer gain resolution than default 10 dB as used in the test-tone sequence.
Mouse clicks snap (are quantized) to the nearest 2 dB gain and .2 octave intervals, the same as the graph grid. With the default test parameters this is generally not the same as the points in the test sequence.
- Name - Include Name in the title and filename of the audiogram.
- Binaural, Left, Right - Select the output channel for the test.
- Test Tone - Play a brief 1000 Hz tone at 0 dB.
- Save - Save the audiogram shown in the graph to an image file.
- Reset - Clear the graph and reset the test-tone sequence to the beginning.
- Exit - Exit What?
-
File->Quit Exit What?.
-
Parameters->Edit Change the test parameters: start and end frequencies, number of frequency points per octave and number of gain points per 10 dB. The hearing loss range is 0 to 80 dB and is not settable. Changes to test parameters are saved between launches.
-
Parameters->Show Show the test parameters, frequencies, and gains of the test points.
-
Parameters->Default Set the test parameters: 125 -> 16,000 Hz, 1 gain point per 10 dB, and 4 frequency points/octave.
-
Help - Self evident.
Tones are presented to the user in two independent ways, from a list of tones and gains, or as placed with a mouse click in the test graph. The list of tones and gains is known as the Test Sequence and can be viewed using Parameters->Show. The frequencies in the Test Sequence are quantized to specific frequencies as determined by the number of points per octave parameter. The order of presentation is randomized at each launch of What? and at each Reset. The gains in the Test Sequence are quantized to specific gains as determined by the number of points per 10 dB parameter. They are presented in order of increasing gain until accepted.
Tones from the Test Sequence and as placed by clicks are both reported in the audiogram. They are independent except when backing up with Backspace. What? has separate history lists for the sequence and clicks and backs up through the most recent list, either the sequence list or the click list.
© Bill Wetzel 2025