Bayesian analysis of paired-comparison sound quality ratings

2019 ◽  
Vol 146 (5) ◽  
pp. 3174-3183
Author(s):  
Arne Leijon ◽  
Martin Dahlquist ◽  
Karolina Smeds
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
Paired Comparison ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Quality Ratings

scholarly journals Speech Perception and Sound-Quality Rating with an Adaptive Nonlinear Frequency Compression Algorithm in Mandarin-Speaking Hearing Aid Users

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (08) ◽  
pp. 590-598
Author(s):  
Li Xu ◽  
Solveig C. Voss ◽  
Jing Yang ◽  
Xianhui Wang ◽  
Qian Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Detection Threshold ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Nonlinear Frequency ◽  
Frequency Compression ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
Quality Ratings ◽  
Phoneme Detection

Abstract Background Mandarin Chinese has a rich repertoire of high-frequency speech sounds. This may pose a remarkable challenge to hearing-impaired listeners who speak Mandarin Chinese because of their high-frequency sloping hearing loss. An adaptive nonlinear frequency compression (adaptive NLFC) algorithm has been implemented in contemporary hearing aids to alleviate the problem. Purpose The present study examined the performance of speech perception and sound-quality rating in Mandarin-speaking hearing-impaired listeners using hearing aids fitted with adaptive NLFC (i.e., SoundRecover2 or SR2) at different parameter settings. Research Design Hearing-impaired listeners' phoneme detection thresholds, speech reception thresholds, and sound-quality ratings were collected with various SR2 settings. Study Sample The participants included 15 Mandarin-speaking adults aged 32 to 84 years old who had symmetric sloping severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. Intervention The participants were fitted bilaterally with Phonak Naida V90-SP hearing aids. Data Collection and Analysis The outcome measures included phoneme detection threshold using the Mandarin Phonak Phoneme Perception test, speech reception threshold using the Mandarin hearing in noise test (M-HINT), and sound-quality ratings on human speech in quiet and noise, bird chirps, and music in quiet. For each test, five experimental settings were applied and compared: SR2-off, SR2-weak, SR2-default, SR2-strong 1, and SR2-strong 2. Results The results showed that listeners performed significantly better with SR2-strong 1 and SR2-strong 2 settings than with SR2-off or SR2-weak settings for speech reception threshold and phoneme detection threshold. However, no significant improvement was observed in sound-quality ratings among different settings. Conclusions These preliminary findings suggested that the adaptive NLFC algorithm provides perceptual benefit to Mandarin-speaking people with severe-to-profound hearing loss.

Sound Quality of Aircraft Cabin for VIP and Business Jets

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurkan Turkdogru Gurun ◽  
Hemang N. Sheth
Keyword(s):  
Prediction Model ◽  
Paired Comparison ◽  
Semantic Differential ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Subjective Perception ◽  
Subjective Test ◽  
Aircraft Cabin ◽  
Listening Tests ◽  
Potential Customers

This paper aims to identify the attributes that describe aircraft interior noise, determine most important psychoacoustic models that characterize cabin sounds, and construct a prediction model that can be utilized for VIP and business jets to evaluate subjective perception. In the first part, paired comparison listening tests and free verbalization are conducted with expert subjects who experienced VIP and business aircraft flight. The study generated a list of adjective pairs that describe perception of cabin sounds to be used for semantic differential listening tests. Multi-dimensional scaling is performed on paired comparison data. Results showed that subjects’ decisions can be categorized in loudness and annoyance dimensions which are not necessarily linearly associated. The second part of the study is the development of a sound quality prediction model for aircraft cabin. Semantic differential tests are conducted with potential customers. Objective sound quality metrics are correlated to subjective test responses using principal components regression. This model is found to be most effective explaining pleasantness, comfort, and loudness perception. It is intended to be utilized to modify/redesign noise control treatments and sound signature of an aircraft. All listening tests were conducted inside an aircraft cabin simulator considering the influence of visual content.

Research on Subjective and Objective Evaluation of Car Interior Sound Quality

2013 ◽  
Vol 455 ◽  
pp. 193-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Zhuang ◽  
Yan Yan Zuo
Keyword(s):  
Paired Comparison ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Objective Evaluation ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Comparison Method ◽  
Analysis Software ◽  
Audio Recorder

This experiment collected sound signals of four different cars driving at different speeds on highway and replayed the noise samples with playback software HEAD Audio Recorder. The subjective evaluation tests were carried out with paired comparison method. Evaluating models between subjective evaluation and objective psychoacoustic parameters were established with SPSS analysis software.

Subjective Analysis and Objective Evaluation of Vehicle Sound Quality

2013 ◽  
Vol 716 ◽  
pp. 674-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Yan Zuo ◽  
Shuai Li Zhou ◽  
Wen Feng Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Constant Velocity ◽  
Paired Comparison ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Objective Evaluation ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Comparison Method ◽  
Acoustical Parameters ◽  
Vehicle Interior ◽  
Subjective Analysis ◽  
Evaluation Test

The interior noise samples from four cars at different positions and different speeds were selected as the evaluation objects. The subjective evaluation test of sound quality preference was carried out with paired comparison method. Several objective psycho-acoustical parameters of these samples were calculated. By way of linear correlation and multi-dimensional regression analysis, an equation between the subjective evaluation of noise preference and the objective psycho-acoustical parameters was established. The results indicate that the vehicle interior sound quality preference under the good highway and the constant-velocity driving conditions is affected mainly by two psycho-acoustical parameters Loudness and Sharpness.

An Initial-Fit Comparison of Two Generic Hearing Aid Prescriptive Methods (NAL-NL2 and CAM2) to Individuals Having Mild to Moderately Severe High-Frequency Hearing Loss

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (02) ◽  
pp. 138-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Earl E. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Paired Comparison ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Individual Subject ◽  
Model Calculations ◽  
High Frequency Hearing Loss

Background: Johnson and Dillon (2011) provided a model-based comparison of current generic hearing aid prescriptive methods for adults with hearing loss based on the attributes of speech intelligibility, loudness, and bandwidth. Purpose: This study compared the National Acoustic Laboratories—Non-linear 2 (NAL-NL2) and Cambridge Method for Loudness Equalization 2—High-Frequency (CAM2) prescriptive methods using adult participants with less high-frequency hearing loss than Johnson and Dillon (2011). Of study interest was quantification of prescribed audibility, speech intelligibility, and loudness. The preferences of participants for either NAL-NL2 or CAM2 and preferred deviations from prescribed settings are also reported. Research Design: Using a single-blind, counter-balanced, randomized design, preference judgments for the prescriptive methods with regard to sound quality of speech and music stimuli were obtained. Preferred gain adjustments from the prescription within the 4–10 kHz frequency range were also obtained from each participant. Speech intelligibility and loudness model calculations were completed on the prescribed and adjusted amplification. Study Sample: Fourteen male Veterans, whose average age was 65 yr and whose hearing sensitivity averaged normal to borderline normal through 1000 Hz sloping to a moderately severe sensorineural loss, served as participants. Data Collection and Analysis: Following a brief listening time (˜10 min), typical of an initial fitting visit, the participants made paired comparison of sound quality between the NAL-NL2 and CAM2 prescriptive settings. Participants were also asked to modify each prescription in the range of 4–10 kHz using an overall gain control and make subsequent comparisons of sound quality preference between prescriptive and adjusted settings. Participant preferences were examined with respect to quantitative analysis of loudness modeling, speech intelligibility modeling, and measured high-frequency bandwidth audibility. Results: Consistent with the lack of difference in predicted speech intelligibility between the two prescriptions, sound quality preferences on the basis of clarity were split across participants while some participants did not have a discernable preference. Considering sound quality judgments of pleasantness, the majority of participants preferred the sound quality of the NAL-NL2 (8 of 14) prescription instead of the CAM2 prescription (2 of 14). Four of the 14 participants showed no preference on the basis of pleasantness for either prescription. Individual subject preferences were supported by loudness modeling that indicated NAL-NL2 was the softer of the two prescriptions and CAM2 was the louder. CAM2 did provide more audibility to the higher frequencies (5–8 kHz) than NAL-NL2. Participants turned the 4–10 kHz gain recommendation of CAM2 lower, on average, by a significant amount of 4 dB when making adjustments while no significant adjustment was made to the initial NAL-NL2 recommendation. Conclusions: NAL-NL2 prescribed gains were more often preferred at the initial fitting by the majority of participating veterans. For those patients with preference for a louder fitting than NAL-NL2, CAM2 is a good alternative. When the participant adjustment from the prescription between 4 and 10 kHz exceeded 4 dB from either NAL-NL2 (2 of 14) or CAM2 (11 of 14), the participants demonstrated a later preference for that adjustment 69% of the time. These findings are viewed as limited evidence that some individuals may have a preference for high-frequency gain that differs from the starting prescription.

scholarly journals The Type of Noise Influences Quality Ratings for Noisy Speech in Hearing Aid Users

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 4300-4313
Author(s):  
Emily M. H. Lundberg ◽  
Song Hui Chon ◽  
James M. Kates ◽  
Melinda C. Anderson ◽  
Kathryn H. Arehart
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Perceptual Quality ◽  
Lower Envelope ◽  
Quality Ratings ◽  
Noise Type ◽  
Street Traffic

Purpose The overall goal of the current study was to determine whether noise type plays a role in perceptual quality ratings. We compared quality ratings using various noise types and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) ranges using hearing aid simulations to consider the effects of hearing aid processing features. Method Ten older adults with bilateral mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss rated the sound quality of sentences processed through a hearing aid simulation and presented in the presence of five different noise types (six-talker babble, three-talker conversation, street traffic, kitchen, and fast-food restaurant) at four SNRs (3, 8, 12, and 20 dB). Results Everyday noise types differentially affected sound quality ratings even when presented at the same SNR: Kitchen and three-talker noises were rated significantly higher than restaurant, traffic, and multitalker babble, which were not different from each other. The effects of noise type were most pronounced at poorer SNRs. Conclusions The findings of this study showed that noise types differentially affected sound quality ratings. The differences we observed were consistent with the acoustic characteristics of the noise types. Noise types having lower envelope fluctuations yielded lower quality ratings than noise types characterized by sporadic high-intensity events at the same SNR.

scholarly journals Sound Quality Effects of an Adaptive Nonlinear Frequency Compression Processor with Normal-Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Listeners

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (07) ◽  
pp. 552-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Glista ◽  
Marianne Hawkins ◽  
Jonathan M. Vaisberg ◽  
Nazanin Pourmand ◽  
Vijay Parsa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Speech Quality ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Nonlinear Frequency ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Frequency Compression ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Quality Ratings

AbstractFrequency lowering (FL) technology offers a means of improving audibility of high-frequency sounds. For some listeners, the benefit of such technology can be accompanied by a perceived degradation in sound quality, depending on the strength of the FL setting.The studies presented in this article investigate the effect of a new type of FL signal processing for hearing aids, adaptive nonlinear frequency compression (ANFC), on subjective speech quality.Listener ratings of sound quality were collected for speech stimuli processed with systematically varied fitting parameters.Study 1 included 40 normal-hearing (NH) adult and child listeners. Study 2 included 11 hearing-impaired (HI) adult and child listeners. HI listeners were fitted with laboratory-worn hearing aids for use during listening tasks.Speech quality ratings were assessed across test conditions consisting of various strengths of static nonlinear frequency compression (NFC) and ANFC speech. Test conditions included those that were fine-tuned on an individual basis per hearing aid fitting and conditions that were modified to intentionally alter the sound quality of the signal.Listeners rated speech quality using the MUlti Stimulus test with Hidden Reference and Anchor (MUSHRA) test paradigm. Ratings were analyzed for reliability and to compare results across conditions.Results show that interrater reliability is high for both studies, indicating that NH and HI listeners from both adult and child age groups can reliably complete the MUSHRA task. Results comparing sound quality ratings across experimental conditions suggest that both the NH and HI listener groups rate the stimuli intended to have poor sound quality (e.g., anchors and the strongest available parameter settings) as having below-average sound quality ratings. A different trend in the results is reported when considering the other experimental conditions across the listener groups in the studies. Speech quality ratings measured with NH listeners improve as the strength of ANFC decreases, with a range of bad to good ratings reported, on average. Speech quality ratings measured with HI listeners are similar and above-average for many of the experimental stimuli, including those with fine-tuned NFC and ANFC parameters.Overall, HI listeners provide similar sound quality ratings when comparing static and adaptive forms of frequency compression, especially when considering the individualized parameter settings. These findings suggest that a range in settings may result in above-average sound quality for adults and children with hearing impairment. Furthermore, the fitter should fine-tune FL parameters for each individual listener, regardless of type of FL technology.

The Effect of Digital Phase Cancellation Feedback Reduction Systems on Amplified Sound Quality

2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (05) ◽  
pp. 404-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Earl E. Johnson ◽  
Todd A. Ricketts ◽  
Benjamin W.Y. Hornsby
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Paired Comparison ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Feedback Reduction ◽  
Phase Cancellation ◽  
Signed Rank ◽  
Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test ◽  
Signed Rank Test

The effect of feedback reduction (FBR) systems on sound quality recorded from two commercially available hearing aids was evaluated using paired comparison judgments by 16 participants with mild to severe sloping hearing loss. These comparisons were made with the FBR systems on and off without audible feedback and while attempting to control for differences in gain and clinical fitting factors. Wilcoxon signed rank test analyses showed that the participants were unable to differentiate between signals that had been recorded with the FBR systems on and off within the same hearing aid. However, significant between-instrument differences in sound quality were identified. The results support the activation of the FFT-phase cancellation FBR systems evaluated herein without concern for a noticeable degradation of sound quality. Se evaluó el efecto de los sistemas de reducción de la retroalimentaciñn (FBR) sobre la calidad del sonido registrado por medio de dos auxiliaries auditivos disponibles comercialmente, utilizando juicios de comparación en pares, de 16 participantes con una hipocusia leve a moderada de pendiente pronunciada. Estas comparaciones se realizaron con los sistemas FBR apagados y encendidos, sin retroalimentación audible y tratando de controlar las diferencias en cuanto a ganancia y a factores clínicos de adaptación. Los análisis de pruebas de rango certificados por Wilcoxon mostraron que los participantes no podian diferenciar entre señales que habian sido registradas con los sistemas de FBR encendidos o apagados dentro del mismo auxiliar auditivo. Los resultados apoyan la activación de los sistemas de FBR de cancelación de fase FFT, aqui evaluados, sin preocupaciones por una degradación identificable en la calidad del sonido.

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