15 kHz test tone: a listening check for your upper hearing edge

This tone sits right where, according to Wikipedia's Hearing range article, the threshold increases sharply in adults. From here up to 20 kHz is 0.42 octaves, so the top of the range is a short step away. One cycle lasts 0.07 ms.

Wikipedia's Presbycusis article says, "One early consequence is that even young adults may lose the ability to hear very high frequency tones above 15 or 16 kHz." So a faint result can come from your age, your gear, or both. At this pitch, age-related loss can be the limit, so check the gear before you read a faint result as your edge.

Run it in a quiet room with the same device each time. Keep the volume low at first and bring it up in small steps, since this tone can sound sharp before you notice it. Press play, listen for a few seconds, then stop and play it again, because a silent gap makes it clear whether you're hearing the tone or imagining it. If nothing plays, switch to another device, since gear may roll off before 15 kHz.

Television sets with a flyback transformer give off a high-pitched whine at about this frequency, according to Wikipedia's Flyback transformer article. It gives 15.625 kHz for PAL and 15.734 kHz for NTSC. If you remember that whine, it sits close to this tone. The FAQ below has the details.

Gear and ears both shape the result, so the check only means something when you repeat it on the same setup. For a real answer about your ears, ask a hearing professional, since this page is a listening check and not a hearing test.