diff --git a/config.h.in b/config.h.in
index 03b5201..1dfb8cf 100644
--- a/config.h.in
+++ b/config.h.in
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@
 /* Define to 1 to enable ALSA support */
 #undef USE_ALSA
 
+/* Define to 1 to enable internal benchmarks */
+#undef USE_BENCHMARKS
+
 /* Define to 1 to enable pulseaudio support */
 #undef USE_PULSEAUDIO
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index ddcb68f..bdd5701 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -659,6 +659,7 @@ enable_dependency_tracking
 with_alsa
 with_pulseaudio
 with_sndfile
+with_benchmarks
 '
       ac_precious_vars='build_alias
 host_alias
@@ -1298,6 +1299,7 @@ Optional Packages:
   --without-alsa          build without ALSA support
   --without-pulseaudio    build without pulseaudio support
   --without-sndfile       build without sndfile support
+  --disable-benchmarks    build without internal benchmarks
 
 Some influential environment variables:
   CC          C compiler command
@@ -3355,6 +3357,26 @@ cat >>confdefs.h <<_ACEOF
 _ACEOF
 
 
+#   benchmarks
+
+# Check whether --with-benchmarks was given.
+if test "${with_benchmarks+set}" = set; then :
+  withval=$with_benchmarks;
+fi
+
+if test "x$with_benchmarks" == "xno"; then :
+  # then
+	use_benchmarks=0
+else
+  # else
+	use_benchmarks=1
+fi
+
+cat >>confdefs.h <<_ACEOF
+#define USE_BENCHMARKS $use_benchmarks
+_ACEOF
+
+
 # Checks for libraries.
 
 
@@ -5051,11 +5073,13 @@ fi
 	--with-pulseaudio     $with_pulseaudio ($use_pulseaudio)
 	--with-alsa           $with_alsa ($use_alsa)
 	--with-sndfile        $with_sndfile ($use_sndfile)
+	--with-benchmarks     $with_benchmarks ($use_benchmarks)
 	deps_packages:        $deps_packages
 " >&5
 $as_echo "minimodem 0.8.2 configuration summary:
 	--with-pulseaudio     $with_pulseaudio ($use_pulseaudio)
 	--with-alsa           $with_alsa ($use_alsa)
 	--with-sndfile        $with_sndfile ($use_sndfile)
+	--with-benchmarks     $with_benchmarks ($use_benchmarks)
 	deps_packages:        $deps_packages
 " >&6; }
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index f557805..9d433e3 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -69,6 +69,17 @@ AS_IF([test "x$with_sndfile" == "xno"],
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(USE_SNDFILE, $use_sndfile,
 	[Define to 1 to enable sndfile support])
 
+#   benchmarks
+AC_ARG_WITH([benchmarks],
+    AS_HELP_STRING([--disable-benchmarks], [build without internal benchmarks]))
+AS_IF([test "x$with_benchmarks" == "xno"],
+        # then
+	use_benchmarks=0,
+	# else
+	use_benchmarks=1)
+AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(USE_BENCHMARKS, $use_benchmarks,
+	[Define to 1 to enable internal benchmarks])
+
 # Checks for libraries.
 PKG_CHECK_MODULES(DEPS, [ $deps_packages ])
 
@@ -97,5 +108,6 @@ AC_MSG_RESULT([PKG_NAME PKG_VERSION configuration summary:
 	--with-pulseaudio     $with_pulseaudio ($use_pulseaudio)
 	--with-alsa           $with_alsa ($use_alsa)
 	--with-sndfile        $with_sndfile ($use_sndfile)
+	--with-benchmarks     $with_benchmarks ($use_benchmarks)
 	deps_packages:        $deps_packages
 ])
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 1d732c2..b3314a9 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ SIMPLEAUDIO_SRC = \
 	simple-tone-generator.c \
 	simpleaudio-pulse.c	\
 	simpleaudio-alsa.c	\
+	simpleaudio-benchmark.c	\
 	simpleaudio-sndfile.c
 
 FSK_SRC = fsk.h fsk.c
diff --git a/src/Makefile.in b/src/Makefile.in
index 002dd77..9212aab 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.in
+++ b/src/Makefile.in
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ am__objects_1 = baudot.$(OBJEXT)
 am__objects_2 = fsk.$(OBJEXT)
 am__objects_3 = simpleaudio.$(OBJEXT) simple-tone-generator.$(OBJEXT) \
 	simpleaudio-pulse.$(OBJEXT) simpleaudio-alsa.$(OBJEXT) \
-	simpleaudio-sndfile.$(OBJEXT)
+	simpleaudio-benchmark.$(OBJEXT) simpleaudio-sndfile.$(OBJEXT)
 am_minimodem_OBJECTS = minimodem.$(OBJEXT) $(am__objects_1) \
 	$(am__objects_2) $(am__objects_3)
 minimodem_OBJECTS = $(am_minimodem_OBJECTS)
@@ -220,6 +220,7 @@ SIMPLEAUDIO_SRC = \
 	simple-tone-generator.c \
 	simpleaudio-pulse.c	\
 	simpleaudio-alsa.c	\
+	simpleaudio-benchmark.c	\
 	simpleaudio-sndfile.c
 
 FSK_SRC = fsk.h fsk.c
@@ -314,6 +315,7 @@ distclean-compile:
 @AMDEP_TRUE@@am__include@ @am__quote@./$(DEPDIR)/minimodem.Po@am__quote@
 @AMDEP_TRUE@@am__include@ @am__quote@./$(DEPDIR)/simple-tone-generator.Po@am__quote@
 @AMDEP_TRUE@@am__include@ @am__quote@./$(DEPDIR)/simpleaudio-alsa.Po@am__quote@
+@AMDEP_TRUE@@am__include@ @am__quote@./$(DEPDIR)/simpleaudio-benchmark.Po@am__quote@
 @AMDEP_TRUE@@am__include@ @am__quote@./$(DEPDIR)/simpleaudio-pulse.Po@am__quote@
 @AMDEP_TRUE@@am__include@ @am__quote@./$(DEPDIR)/simpleaudio-sndfile.Po@am__quote@
 @AMDEP_TRUE@@am__include@ @am__quote@./$(DEPDIR)/simpleaudio.Po@am__quote@
diff --git a/src/simpleaudio-benchmark.c b/src/simpleaudio-benchmark.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..670b3b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/simpleaudio-benchmark.c
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+/*
+ * simpleaudio-benchmark.c
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2011 Kamal Mostafa <kamal@whence.com>
+ *
+ *  This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ *  it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ *  the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ *  (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ *  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ *  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ *  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ *  GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ *  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ *  along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#include "config.h"
+#endif
+
+#if USE_BENCHMARKS
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <malloc.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <assert.h>
+
+#include <sys/time.h>
+
+#include "simpleaudio.h"
+#include "simpleaudio_internal.h"
+
+
+/*
+ * benchmark backend for simpleaudio
+ */
+
+struct benchmark_data {
+    struct timeval	tv_start;
+    unsigned long	total_nframes;
+};
+
+
+static ssize_t
+sa_benchmark_dummy_readwrite( simpleaudio *sa, void *buf, size_t nframes )
+{
+    struct benchmark_data *d = sa->backend_handle;
+    d->total_nframes += nframes;
+    return nframes;
+}
+
+static void
+sa_benchmark_close( simpleaudio *sa )
+{
+    struct timeval tv_stop;
+    gettimeofday(&tv_stop, NULL);
+
+    struct benchmark_data *d = sa->backend_handle;
+    unsigned long runtime_usec, playtime_usec;
+    runtime_usec = (tv_stop.tv_sec - d->tv_start.tv_sec) * 1000000;
+    runtime_usec += tv_stop.tv_usec;
+    runtime_usec -= d->tv_start.tv_usec;
+
+    playtime_usec = d->total_nframes * 1000000 / sa->rate;
+
+    unsigned long performance = d->total_nframes * 1000000 / runtime_usec;
+
+    fprintf(stdout, "    frames count:    \t%lu\n", d->total_nframes);
+    fprintf(stdout, "    audio playtime:  \t%2lu.%06lu sec\n",
+	    playtime_usec/1000000, playtime_usec%1000000);
+    fprintf(stdout, "    elapsed runtime: \t%2lu.%06lu sec\n",
+	    runtime_usec/1000000, runtime_usec%1000000);
+    fprintf(stdout, "    performance:     \t%lu samples/sec\n",
+	    performance);
+    fflush(stdout);
+
+    free(sa->backend_handle);
+}
+
+static int
+sa_benchmark_open_stream(
+		simpleaudio *sa,
+		sa_direction_t sa_stream_direction,
+		sa_format_t sa_format,
+		unsigned int rate, unsigned int channels,
+		char *app_name, char *stream_name )
+{
+    struct benchmark_data *d = calloc(1, sizeof(struct benchmark_data));
+    if ( !d ) {
+	perror("malloc");
+	return 0;
+    }
+
+    sa->backend_handle = d;
+    sa->backend_framesize = sa->channels * sa->samplesize; 
+
+    fprintf(stdout, "  %s\n", stream_name);
+    fflush(stdout);
+
+    gettimeofday(&d->tv_start, NULL);
+
+    return 1;
+}
+
+
+const struct simpleaudio_backend simpleaudio_backend_benchmark = {
+    sa_benchmark_open_stream,
+    sa_benchmark_dummy_readwrite /* read */,
+    sa_benchmark_dummy_readwrite /* write */,
+    sa_benchmark_close,
+};
+
+#endif /* USE_BENCHMARKS */
diff --git a/src/simpleaudio.c b/src/simpleaudio.c
index c9e4680..fca113d 100644
--- a/src/simpleaudio.c
+++ b/src/simpleaudio.c
@@ -71,6 +71,12 @@ simpleaudio_open_stream(
 	    break;
 #endif
 
+#if USE_BENCHMARKS
+	case SA_BACKEND_BENCHMARK:
+	    sa->backend = &simpleaudio_backend_benchmark;
+	    break;
+#endif
+
 	case SA_BACKEND_SYSDEFAULT:
 #if USE_PULSEAUDIO
 	    sa->backend = &simpleaudio_backend_pulseaudio;
diff --git a/src/simpleaudio.h b/src/simpleaudio.h
index 9b5f8b8..8bae7a7 100644
--- a/src/simpleaudio.h
+++ b/src/simpleaudio.h
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ typedef struct simpleaudio simpleaudio;
 typedef enum {
 	SA_BACKEND_SYSDEFAULT=0,
 	SA_BACKEND_FILE,
+	SA_BACKEND_BENCHMARK,
 	SA_BACKEND_ALSA,
 	SA_BACKEND_PULSEAUDIO,
 } sa_backend_t;
diff --git a/src/simpleaudio_internal.h b/src/simpleaudio_internal.h
index 25a0551..04f93a9 100644
--- a/src/simpleaudio_internal.h
+++ b/src/simpleaudio_internal.h
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ struct simpleaudio_backend {
 	(*simpleaudio_close)( simpleaudio *sa );
 };
 
+extern const struct simpleaudio_backend simpleaudio_backend_benchmark;
 extern const struct simpleaudio_backend simpleaudio_backend_sndfile;
 extern const struct simpleaudio_backend simpleaudio_backend_alsa;
 extern const struct simpleaudio_backend simpleaudio_backend_pulseaudio;