Peaks in the Frequency Response of Hearing Aids: Evaluation of the Effects on Speech Intelligibility and Sound Quality

1996 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald A. van Buuren ◽  
Joost M. Festen ◽  
Tammo Houtgast
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Response ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Reference Frequency ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Speech Spectrum ◽  
Series Of Experiments

In a series of experiments, we introduced peaks of 10, 20, and 30 dB, in various combinations, onto a smooth reference frequency response. For each of the conditions, we evaluated speech intelligibility in noise, using a test as developed by Plomp and Mimpen (1979), and sound quality (for both speech and music), using a rating-scale procedure. We performed the experiments with 26 listeners with sensorineurally impaired hearing and 10 listeners with normal hearing. Signal processing was accomplished digitally; for each listener, the stimuli were filtered and subsequently amplified so that the average speech spectrum was well above the threshold of hearing at all frequencies. The results show that, as a result of the introduction of peaks onto the frequency response, speech intelligibility is affected more for the listeners with impaired hearing than for those with normal hearing. Sound-quality judgments tend to be less different between the listener groups. Conditions with 30-dB peaks especially show serious effects on both speech intelligibility and sound quality.

Automated Methods of Assessing Hearing Aid Performance in Listeners With Impaired Hearing

1994 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-19
Author(s):  
Todd W. Fortune
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Maximum Benefit ◽  
Degree Of Satisfaction ◽  
Behavioral Methods ◽  
Automated Methods ◽  
Over Time

The methods that have been described, although still under development, are intended to demonstrate that the issues of sound quality, speech intelligibility, and loudness may be addressed in a clinical setting in a reasonable amount of time. Being automated, these methods are relatively time-efficient, and may become more so as they are refined. Being database oriented, these methods make it easy to monitor individual clients over time, and also provide an efficient way to evaluate the success rate of individual circuits across listeners with similar hearing losses. Individually, these techniques provide only some of the information that may indicate whether a particular fitting may succeed. Taken together, these behavioral methods will provide a great deal of both subjective and objective information that will help the dispenser not only decide which of several hearing aids may be best for a user, but also how a given instrument may be adjusted to provide the maximum benefit. By including the formal assessment of sound quality, speech intelligibility, and loudness in the hearing aid evaluation, the needs of the user are more likely to be met, and the degree of satisfaction achieved is likely to be higher than if the evaluation consists solely of matching the real ear insertion response to a prescribed target.

Quality Ratings for Frequency-Shaped Peak-Clipped Speech

1996 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1115-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Kozma-Spytek ◽  
James M. Kates ◽  
Sally G. Revoile
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Response ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Processing ◽  
Processing System ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Speech Quality ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Quality Ratings ◽  
Noise Input ◽  
Distortion Index

Peak clipping is a common form of distortion in hearing aids and can reduce the subjective quality of the amplified speech. In a previous study involving listeners with normal hearing Kates & Kozma-Spytek, 1994), the effect of peak clipping on speech quality ratings was studied using sentence test materials that were filtered using three different frequency response contours and then clipped at four different clipping levels. The present study extends the quality ratings to include those from a group of listeners having moderate to profound hearing impairments. The experimental results indicate that the clipping level, and the interaction of the frequency-response shaping with the clipping level, significantly affects speech quality. It is also shown that the distortion effects on speech quality for the listeners with impaired hearing can be modeled by a distortion index computed from the magnitude-squared coherence of the speech-processing system in response to a shaped-noise input signal. The distortion-index weights derived for the group of listeners with impaired hearing, however, differ substantially from those derived for listeners with normal hearing, and substantial inter-listener variation was also observed.

scholarly journals The use of speech sentence audiometry in a free sound field

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-39
Author(s):  
Mariya Yu. Boboshko ◽  
Irina P. Berdnikova ◽  
Natalya V. Maltzeva
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sound Field ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Hearing Aid Benefit

Objectives -to determine the normative data of sentence speech intelligibility in a free sound field and to estimate the applicability of the Russian Matrix Sentence test (RuMatrix) for assessment of the hearing aid fitting benefit. Material and methods. 10 people with normal hearing and 28 users of hearing aids with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss were involved in the study. RuMatrix test both in quiet and in noise was performed in a free sound field. All patients filled in the COSI questionnaire. Results. The hearing impaired patients were divided into two subgroups: the 1st with high and the 2nd with low hearing aid benefit, according to the COSI questionnaire. In the 1st subgroup, the threshold for the sentence intelligibility in quiet was 34.9 ± 6.4 dB SPL, and in noise -3.3 ± 1.4 dB SNR, in the 2nd subgroup 41.7 ± 11.5 dB SPL and 0.15 ± 3.45 dB SNR, respectively. The significant difference between the data of both subgroups and the norm was registered (p

Evaluation of an Articulation-Index Based Model for Predicting the Effects of Adaptive Frequency Response Hearing Aids

1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 676-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Fabry ◽  
Dianne J. Van Tasell
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Function ◽  
Frequency Response ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Articulation Index ◽  
Intelligibility Ratings ◽  
High Pass

The Articulation Index (AI) was used to evaluate an “adaptive frequency response” (AFR) hearing aid with amplification characteristics that automatically change to become more high-pass with increasing levels of background noise. Speech intelligibility ratings of connected discourse by normal-hearing subjects were predicted well by an empirically derived AI transfer function. That transfer function was used to predict aided speech intelligibility ratings by 12 hearing-impaired subjects wearing a master hearing aid with the Argosy Manhattan Circuit enabled (AFR-on) or disabled (AFR-off). For all subjects, the AI predicted no improvements in speech intelligibility for the AFR-on versus AFR-off condition, and no significant improvements in rated intelligibility were observed. The ability of the AI to predict aided speech intelligibility varied across subjects. However, ratings from every hearing-impaired subject were related monotonically to AI. Therefore, AI calculations may be used to predict relative—but not absolute—levels of speech intelligibility produced under different amplification conditions.

The Impact of Reduced Speech Intelligibility on Reaction Time in a Naval Combat Environment

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 1570-1574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Sheffield ◽  
John Ziriax ◽  
M. David Keller ◽  
William Barns ◽  
Douglas Brungart
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Perceived Workload ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Impact

Despite attempts to limit noise exposure, noise-induced hearing loss remains prevalent in the military. Both hearing loss and the noise itself can lead to communication issues which could negatively impact operational performance. This study builds upon a series of experiments examining the relationship between reduced speech intelligibility and performance in a naval command and control environment by equipping Navy watch standers with hearing loss simulators that control speech intelligibility in real time as they were engaged in a simulated operational scenario. This effort focused on the effects that a Sailor with impaired hearing might have on unimpaired shipmates and how the mission might specifically be impacted. Results showed that as speech intelligibility decreased for the impaired watch stander perceived workload increased in an unimpaired shipmate and the latency of the crew to respond to incoming missile threats and a direct order to kill an enemy ship increased significantly.

The Bonebridge semi-implantable bone conduction hearing device: experience in an Asian patient

2013 ◽  
Vol 127 (12) ◽  
pp. 1214-1221 ◽  
Author(s):  
W S S Tsang ◽  
J K Y Yu ◽  
K S S Bhatia ◽  
T K C Wong ◽  
M C F Tong
Keyword(s):  
Wound Infection ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Bone Conduction ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Asian Patient ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Hearing Device ◽  
Bone Conduction Hearing ◽  
Bone Conduction Device

AbstractFor over three decades, bone conduction hearing aids have been changing the lives of patients with impaired hearing. The size, appearance and fitting discomfort of early generations of bone conduction hearing aids made them unpopular. The advent of bone-anchored hearing aids in the 1970s offered patients improved sound quality and fitting comfort, due to the application of osseointegration. However, the issue of post-operative peri-abutment pin tract wound infection persisted. The Bonebridge system incorporates the first active bone conduction device, and aims to resolve peri-abutment issues. Implantation of this system in an Asian patient is presented.

scholarly journals Development of Sound Field Audiometry System for Small Audiometric Booths and Comparison of Its Equivalence With Traditional System

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-35
Author(s):  
Eun Kyung Jung ◽  
Young Mi Choi ◽  
Eun Jung Kim ◽  
Sungsu Lee ◽  
Hyong-Ho Cho
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Sound Field ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Hearing Results ◽  
Traditional System ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
Hearing Thresholds ◽  
Head Height

Objectives. Sound field (SF) audiometry tests are usually conducted in audiometric booths measuring greater than 2×2 m in size. However, most private ENT clinics carry about 1×1-m-sized audiometric booths, making SF audiometry testing difficult to perform. The aims of this study were to develop an SF audiometry system for use in smaller audiometric booths and compare its performance with traditional system.Methods. The newly developed SF audiometry system can yield an SF signal at a distance of about 30 cm from the subject’s ears. Its height can be adjusted according to the subject’s head height. We compared SF hearing results between the new SF system and the traditional SF audiometry system in 20 adults with normal hearing (40 ears) and 24 adults with impaired hearing levels (38 ears) who wore hearing aids. Comparative parameters included warble tone audiometry threshold, a speech reception threshold (SRT), and a speech discrimination score (SDS). For statistical analysis, paired t-test was used. The equivalence of both SF systems was tested using two one-sided test (TOST) with a margin of 5 dB (normal hearing participants) and 10 dB (hearing aids wearing participants).Results. Among participants with normal hearing, warble tone hearing thresholds of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz, average values of these four frequencies, and SRT were similar between the two systems (all <i>P</i>>0.05). Participants with hearing aids showed similar warble tone threshold and SRT (<i>P</i>>0.05) in both systems except for threshold of 4 kHz (<i>P</i>=0.033). SDS was significantly higher in the newly developed system (<i>P</i><0.05). TOST results showed equivalent SF audiometry results using either system.Conclusion. Audiometric results of the newly developed SF audiometry system were equivalent to those of a traditional system. Therefore, the small SF audiometry system can be used at small audiometric booths present in most private ENT clinics.

ATTENTUATION OF THE OUTPUT SIGNAL BY PROTECTIVE AND FIXING TOOLS FOR HEARING AIDS AND COCHLEAR IMPLANTS

Akustika ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 163-167
Author(s):  
Sergei Levin ◽  
Gaziz Tufatulin ◽  
Inna Koroleva ◽  
Viktoriia Vasilyeva ◽  
Elena Levina
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Input Signal ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Signal Attenuation ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Significant Attenuation ◽  
Speech Spectrum ◽  
Sound Processor

The aim was to study amount of attenuation of input signal at the hearing aid (HA) or cochlear implant sound processor (SP) microphone by different protective tools or clothes. Materials and methods. The acoustic measurements were conducted in the soundproof cabin using artificial head with HA/SP and different protective tools, which can influence on microphone function. Probe microphone was integrated in the microphone input of SP and connected with HA verification system. Results. The biggest amount of signal attenuation was observed using water-resistant cases for SP. Changes affect the speech spectrum, therefore using such protective tools can lead to decrease of speech intelligibility. Maximum attenuation was 9.36±0.33 dB at 4000 Hz. Non-hermetic membrane protective cases gave maximum attenuation 7.67±0.18 dB (5000 Hz). Clothes which cover head lead to significant change of signal at microphone up to 9.24±0.16 dB mostly at high-frequencies, which less influences on speech intelligibility. The results confirm that clothes and protective tools for HA of SP show significant attenuation of sounds.

A Comparison of Personal Sound Amplification Products and Hearing Aids in Ecologically Relevant Test Environments

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Brody ◽  
Yu-Hsiang Wu ◽  
Elizabeth Stangl
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Speech Intelligibility Index ◽  
Sound Amplification

Purpose The aim of this study was to compare the benefit of self-adjusted personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) to audiologist-fitted hearing aids based on speech recognition, listening effort, and sound quality in ecologically relevant test conditions to estimate real-world effectiveness. Method Twenty-five older adults with bilateral mild-to-moderate hearing loss completed the single-blinded, crossover study. Participants underwent aided testing using 3 PSAPs and a traditional hearing aid, as well as unaided testing. PSAPs were adjusted based on participant preference, whereas the hearing aid was configured using best-practice verification protocols. Audibility provided by the devices was quantified using the Speech Intelligibility Index (American National Standards Institute, 2012). Outcome measures assessing speech recognition, listening effort, and sound quality were administered in ecologically relevant laboratory conditions designed to represent real-world speech listening situations. Results All devices significantly improved Speech Intelligibility Index compared to unaided listening, with the hearing aid providing more audibility than all PSAPs. Results further revealed that, in general, the hearing aid improved speech recognition performance and reduced listening effort significantly more than all PSAPs. Few differences in sound quality were observed between devices. All PSAPs improved speech recognition and listening effort compared to unaided testing. Conclusions Hearing aids fitted using best-practice verification protocols were capable of providing more aided audibility, better speech recognition performance, and lower listening effort compared to the PSAPs tested in the current study. Differences in sound quality between the devices were minimal. However, because all PSAPs tested in the study significantly improved participants' speech recognition performance and reduced listening effort compared to unaided listening, PSAPs could serve as a budget-friendly option for those who cannot afford traditional amplification.

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