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.

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.

The Effect of Nonlinear Frequency Compression on Acoustic Change Complex Responses in High-Frequency Dead-Regioned Hearing Loss

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebru Kösemihal ◽  
Ferda Akdas
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Nonlinear Frequency ◽  
Frequency Compression ◽  
Frequency Information ◽  
Cortical Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Acoustic Change Complex

Abstract Purpose The study is concern with the distinguishing of the stimuli containing high frequency information with the frequency compression feature at the cortical level using the acoustic change complex (ACC) and the comparison of such with the ACC answers of individuals with normal hearing. Research Design This is a case–control study. Study Sample Thirty adults (21 males and nine females) with normal hearing, ranging in age between 16 and 63 years (mean: 36.7 ± 12.9 years) and 20 adults (16 males and four females) with hearing loss ranging in age between 16 and 70 years (mean:49.0 ± 19.8 years) have been included in this study. Data Collection and Analysis A total of 1,000 ms long stimulus containing 500 and 4,000 Hz tonal stimuli was used for ACC recording. The start frequency (SF) and compression ratio (CR) parameters of the hearing aids were programmed according to the default settings (SFd, CRd) in the device software, the optimal setting (SFo, CRo), and the extra compression (SFe, CRe) requirements and ACC has been recorded for each condition. Evaluation has been performed according to P1-N1-P2 wave complex and ACC complex wave latencies. Independent samples t-test was used to test the significance of the differences between the groups. Results In all individuals ACC has been observed. There was a significant difference between the wave latencies in normal hearing- and hearing-impaired groups. All wave latency averages of the individuals with hearing impairment were longer than the individuals with normal hearing. There were statistically significant differences between SFd-SFo, SFd-SFe, and SFo-SFe parameters. But there was no difference between CRd, CRo, and CRe in terms of CRs. Conclusion In order to discriminate high frequency information at the cortical level we should not rely on default settings of the SF and CR of the hearing aids. Optimal bandwidth must be adjusted without performing insufficient compression or over-compression. ACC can be used besides the real ear measurement for hearing aid fitting.

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.

The S-SH Confusion Test and the Effects of Frequency Lowering

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1486-1505
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Nonlinear Frequency ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Frequency Compression ◽  
Negative Side ◽  
Minimal Word ◽  
Low Pass ◽  
Negative Side Effects

PurposeFrequency lowering in hearing aids can cause listeners to perceive [s] as [ʃ]. The S-SH Confusion Test, which consists of 66 minimal word pairs spoken by 6 female talkers, was designed to help clinicians and researchers document these negative side effects. This study's purpose was to use this new test to evaluate the hypothesis that these confusions will increase to the extent that low frequencies are altered.MethodTwenty-one listeners with normal hearing were each tested on 7 conditions. Three were control conditions that were low-pass filtered at 3.3, 5.0, and 9.1 kHz. Four conditions were processed with nonlinear frequency compression (NFC): 2 had a 3.3-kHz maximum audible output frequency (MAOF), with a start frequency (SF) of 1.6 or 2.2 kHz; 2 had a 5.0-kHz MAOF, with an SF of 1.6 or 4.0 kHz. Listeners' responses were analyzed using concepts from signal detection theory. Response times were also collected as a measure of cognitive processing.ResultsOverall, [s] for [ʃ] confusions were minimal. As predicted, [ʃ] for [s] confusions increased for NFC conditions with a lower versus higher MAOF and with a lower versus higher SF. Response times for trials with correct [s] responses were shortest for the 9.1-kHz control and increased for the 5.0- and 3.3-kHz controls. NFC response times were also significantly longer as MAOF and SF decreased. The NFC condition with the highest MAOF and SF had statistically shorter response times than its control condition, indicating that, under some circumstances, NFC may ease cognitive processing.ConclusionsLarge differences in the S-SH Confusion Test across frequency-lowering conditions show that it can be used to document a major negative side effect associated with frequency lowering. Smaller but significant differences in response times for correct [s] trials indicate that NFC can help or hinder cognitive processing, depending on its settings.

scholarly journals Perception of Auditory Distance in Normal-Hearing and Moderate-to-Profound Hearing-Impaired Listeners

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 233121651988761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Courtois ◽  
Vincent Grimaldi ◽  
Hervé Lissek ◽  
Philippe Estoppey ◽  
Eleftheria Georganti
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Linear Amplification ◽  
Profound Hearing Loss ◽  
Wireless Microphone ◽  
Auditory Distance ◽  
Non Linear

The auditory system allows the estimation of the distance to sound-emitting objects using multiple spatial cues. In virtual acoustics over headphones, a prerequisite to render auditory distance impression is sound externalization, which denotes the perception of synthesized stimuli outside of the head. Prior studies have found that listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing loss are able to perceive auditory distance and are sensitive to externalization. However, this ability may be degraded by certain factors, such as non-linear amplification in hearing aids or the use of a remote wireless microphone. In this study, 10 normal-hearing and 20 moderate-to-profound hearing-impaired listeners were instructed to estimate the distance of stimuli processed with different methods yielding various perceived auditory distances in the vicinity of the listeners. Two different configurations of non-linear amplification were implemented, and a novel feature aiming to restore a sense of distance in wireless microphone systems was tested. The results showed that the hearing-impaired listeners, even those with a profound hearing loss, were able to discriminate nearby and far sounds that were equalized in level. Their perception of auditory distance was however more contracted than in normal-hearing listeners. Non-linear amplification was found to distort the original spatial cues, but no adverse effect on the ratings of auditory distance was evident. Finally, it was shown that the novel feature was successful in allowing the hearing-impaired participants to perceive externalized sounds with wireless microphone systems.

Effects of noise and distortion on speech quality judgments in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners

2007 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 1150-1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn H. Arehart ◽  
James M. Kates ◽  
Melinda C. Anderson ◽  
Lewis O. Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Speech Quality ◽  
Hearing Impaired

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.

scholarly journals Effects of Binaural Spatialization in Wireless Microphone Systems for Hearing Aids on Normal-Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Listeners

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 233121651775354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Courtois ◽  
Hervé Lissek ◽  
Philippe Estoppey ◽  
Yves Oesch ◽  
Xavier Gigandet
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Wireless Microphone

scholarly journals Effects of Adaptive Non-linear Frequency Compression in Hearing Aids on Mandarin Speech and Sound-Quality Perception

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Qi ◽  
Xueqing Chen ◽  
Jing Yang ◽  
Xianhui Wang ◽  
Xin Tian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Compression Algorithm ◽  
Frequency Compression ◽  
Quality Perception ◽  
Linear Frequency ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Non Linear

ObjectiveThis study was aimed at examining the effects of an adaptive non-linear frequency compression algorithm implemented in hearing aids (i.e., SoundRecover2, or SR2) at different parameter settings and auditory acclimatization on speech and sound-quality perception in native Mandarin-speaking adult listeners with sensorineural hearing loss.DesignData consisted of participants’ unaided and aided hearing thresholds, Mandarin consonant and vowel recognition in quiet, and sentence recognition in noise, as well as sound-quality ratings through five sessions in a 12-week period with three SR2 settings (i.e., SR2 off, SR2 default, and SR2 strong).Study SampleTwenty-nine native Mandarin-speaking adults aged 37–76 years old with symmetric sloping moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss were recruited. They were all fitted bilaterally with Phonak Naida V90-SP BTE hearing aids with hard ear-molds.ResultsThe participants demonstrated a significant improvement of aided hearing in detecting high frequency sounds at 8 kHz. For consonant recognition and overall sound-quality rating, the participants performed significantly better with the SR2 default setting than the other two settings. No significant differences were found in vowel and sentence recognition among the three SR2 settings. Test session was a significant factor that contributed to the participants’ performance in all speech and sound-quality perception tests. Specifically, the participants benefited from a longer duration of hearing aid use.ConclusionFindings from this study suggested possible perceptual benefit from the adaptive non-linear frequency compression algorithm for native Mandarin-speaking adults with moderate-to-profound hearing loss. Periods of acclimatization should be taken for better performance in novel technologies in hearing aids.

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