Mosquito Tone Test 17.4 kHz — Free
Mosquito tone test with the 17.4 kHz classic plus 8–22 kHz bursts to estimate hearing age. Volume-limited for safety. Free in your browser, no download.
Protect your hearing. Start at a low volume. Never raise the volume to make a tone audible. Levels are shown in dBFS, relative to full scale — not SPL.
How it works
Discrete high-frequency sine tones from 8 kHz to 22 kHz (featuring the 17.4 kHz classic Mosquito frequency) are generated with click-free cosine envelopes and a hardware safety volume limiter to test presbycusis and hearing age.
Test your high-frequency auditory perception with the classic 17.4 kHz Mosquito Tone and explore hearing age thresholds across the ultrasonic transition zone.
Hearing Age Reference Scale
| Frequency | Typical Hearing Age Boundary | Clinical Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8,000 Hz | All ages (65+) | Preserved in typical conversational speech understanding. |
| 10,000 Hz | Age ≤ 60 | Mild presbycusis begins attenuating this band in the sixth decade. |
| 12,000 Hz | Age ≤ 50 | Common threshold for adults approaching age 50. |
| 14,000 Hz | Age ≤ 40 | Upper boundary for most healthy adults over 40. |
| 15,000 Hz | Age ≤ 35 | Typical CRT television flyback transformer whine. |
| 16,000 Hz | Age ≤ 30 | High threshold for young adults. |
| 17,400 Hz | Age ≤ 24 | The classic Mosquito / Teen Buzz threshold. |
| 18,000 Hz | Age ≤ 20 | Adolescent hearing threshold. |
| 19,000 Hz | Age ≤ 18 | Exceptional teenage auditory sensitivity. |
| 20,000 Hz | Age ≤ 14 | Upper nominal theoretical limit of the standard human audio spectrum. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the 17.4 kHz "Mosquito tone"?
The Mosquito tone is a high-frequency sound at approximately 17.4 kHz, originally popularized in 2005 as a teenage loitering deterrent and later adapted into the 'Teen Buzz' ringtone that students could hear while teachers and older adults could not. Because of presbycusis (age-related high-frequency hearing degradation), most people over the age of 25 lose sensitivity to frequencies above 16–17 kHz.
Why does high-frequency hearing decline with age?
The cochlea is tonotopically organized: the stereocilia hair cells near the basal entrance decode high frequencies (15–20 kHz), while hair cells at the apical apex decode deep bass. Because high-frequency hair cells are exposed to every incoming sound wave entering the ear, they undergo cumulative mechanical wear and oxidative stress over a lifetime and cannot regenerate in humans.
Why is there a volume safety limiter on this test?
High-frequency pure tones carry substantial acoustic energy. When people cannot hear 17.4 kHz, the natural human reaction is to turn the volume to maximum. Doing so can cause acoustic trauma to the stereocilia hair cells or burn out tweeter voice coils without the listener even realizing the sound is playing. Our tool limits maximum output to a safe, controlled ceiling.