A laser opto-acoustic apparatus and method is applied for nondestructive testing of defects and residual stresses in solids. A nondestructive testing apparatus may have a piezoelectric transducer for measuring oscillations in a solid. The oscillations or waves may be caused from longitudinal, shear, and/or Raleigh waves in the object to be tested. The nondestructive testing apparatus may also include a laser. The laser is capable of generating the longitudinal, shear, and/or Raleigh waves in the object. One method of performing nondestructive testing of materials may include creating at least one of a longitudinal, shear, and/or Raleigh wave in an object and measuring the speed of the wave in the object. The speed of the waves may be compared with the speed of waves in a material without defects to determine whether the object to be tested has defects.