Dataset Information

Perceived Sound Quality of Hearing Aids With Varying Placements of Microphone and Receiver.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Perceived sound quality was variously compared between either no aiding or aiding with three models of hearing aid that varied the microphone position around the pinna, depth of the receiver in the auditory meatus, degree of meatal occlusion, and processing sophistication. The hearing aids were modern designs and commercially available at the time of testing.

Method

Binaural recordings of multichannel spatially separated speech and music excerpts were made in a manikin, either open ear or aided. Recordings were presented offline over wide-bandwidth, high-quality insert earphones. Participants listened to pairs of the recordings and made preference ratings both by clarity and externality (a proxy for "spaciousness"). Two separate groups of adults were tested, 20 with audiometrically normal hearing (NH) and 20 with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss (hearing impaired [HI]).

Results

For ratings of speech clarity, the NH group expressed no preference between the open ear and a deeply inserted occluding aid, both of which were preferred to a low-pass filtered output of the same aid. For the music signal, a small preference emerged for the open-ear recording over that of the aid. For the HI group, clarity of the deeply inserted aid was similar to in-the-ear and behind-the-ear devices for speech, but worse for music. Ratings of spaciousness produced no clear result in either group, which can be attributed to study limitations and/or participant factors.

Conclusion

Based on clarity, a wide bandwidth, particularly to beyond 5 kHz generally and below 300 Hz for music, is desirable, independent of hearing aid design.

SUBMITTER: Stone MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10166191 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Perceived Sound Quality of Hearing Aids With Varying Placements of Microphone and Receiver.

Stone Michael A MA Lough Melanie M Kühnel Volker V Biggins Anna E AE Whiston Helen H Dillon Harvey H

American journal of audiology 20221229 1

<h4>Purpose</h4>Perceived sound quality was variously compared between either no aiding or aiding with three models of hearing aid that varied the microphone position around the pinna, depth of the receiver in the auditory meatus, degree of meatal occlusion, and processing sophistication. The hearing aids were modern designs and commercially available at the time of testing.<h4>Method</h4>Binaural recordings of multichannel spatially separated speech and music excerpts were made in a manikin, ei ...[more]

PMID: 36580494

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundHearing loss is a common morbidity that requires a hearing device to improve quality of life and prevent sequelae, such as dementia, depression falls, and cardiovascular disease. However, conventional hearing aids have some limitations, including poor accessibility and unaffordability. Consequently, personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) are considered a potential first-line alternative remedy for patients with hearing loss. The main objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of PSAPs and conventional hearing aids regarding hearing benefits in patients with hearing loss.MethodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Five databases and reference lists were searched from inception to January 12, 2022. Studies including randomised, controlled trials; nonrandomised, controlled trials; or observational studies comparing PSAPs and hearing aids with regard to hearing gain performance (e.g., speech intelligence) were considered eligible. The review was registered prospectively on PROSPERO (CRD42021267187).FindingsOf 599 records identified in the preliminary search, five studies were included in the review and meta-analysis. A total of 124 patients were divided into the PSAP group and the conventional hearing aid group. Five studies including seven groups compared differences for speech intelligence in the signal-noise ratio (SNR) on the hearing in noise test (HINT) between PSAPs and conventional hearing aids. The pooled results showed nonsignificant differences in speech intelligence (SMD, 0.14; 95% CI, -0.19 to 0.47; P = .41; I 2=65%), sound quality (SMD, -0.37; 95% CI, -0.87 to 0.13; P = .15; I 2=77%) and listening effort (SMD 0.02; 95% CI, -0.24 to 0.29; P = .86; I 2=32%). Nonsignificant results were also observed in subsequent analyses after excluding patients with moderately severe hearing loss. Complete sensitivity analyses with all of the possible combinations suggested nonsignificant results in most of the comparisons between PSAPs and conventional hearing aids.InterpretationPSAPs are potentially beneficial as conventional hearing aids are in patients with hearing loss. The different features among PSAPs should be considered for patients indicated for hearing devices.FundingThis work was supported by grants from Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST-10-2622-8-075-001) and Veterans General Hospitals and University System of Taiwan Joint Research Program (VGHUST111-G6-11-2 and VGHUST111c-140).

Project description:ImportanceMost observational studies examining the association between hearing loss (HL) and cognitive impairment used subjective measures of hearing and addressed only one dimension of cognition, and very few investigated the potential benefit of hearing aids (HAs).ObjectiveTo evaluate objectively measured HL and several dimensions of cognition and estimate the association with HA use.Design, setting, and participantsA cross-sectional analysis of the CONSTANCES cohort study, which recruited participants from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2020, was conducted. Participants were a representative sample of adults (age, 45-69 years) with audiometric data and cognitive evaluation from 21 preventive health centers in France. Data analysis was conducted from April 1 to September 15, 2023.ExposureThe main exposure was HL, which was defined by a pure-tone average in the best ear higher than 20 dB hearing level for mild loss and 35 dB hearing level for disabling loss. Secondary exposure was self-reported HA use.Main outcomes and measuresCognition was evaluated at study inclusion by a standardized battery of 5 cognitive tests conducted by trained neuropsychologists. A global cognitive score was computed from principal component analysis and global cognitive impairment was defined as having a score less than or equal to the 25th percentile of the distribution.ResultsThe study population included 62 072 participants with audiometric data (mean [SD] age, 57.4 [7] years; 52% women). Overall, 38% (n = 23 768) had mild HL, 10% (n = 6012) had disabling HL, and 3% (n = 1668) were HA users. In multivariable analyses, mild HL (odds ratio [OR], 1.10; 95% CI, 1.05-1.15) and disabling HL (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.16-1.33) were associated with greater global cognitive impairment. The odds of cognitive impairment did not differ significantly between all participants with HA use and participants with disabling HL without HAs (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83-1.07), except among participants with depression (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44-0.88).Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study, an association between the severity of HL and global cognitive impairment was found. The use of HAs was not associated with significantly lower odds of cognitive impairment. The findings suggest that it may be useful to monitor cognitive function in middle-aged individuals with HL.

Project description:The single-tone sound source localization (SSL) by majority of fly Ormia ochracea's ears-inspired directional microphones leaves a limited choice when an application like hearing aid (HA) demands broadband SSL. Here, a piezoelectric MEMS directional microphone using a modified mechanical model of fly's ear has been presented with primary focus to achieve SSL in most sensitive audio bands to mitigate the constraints of traditional SSL works. In the modified model, two optimized rectangular diaphragms have been pivoted by four optimized torsional beams; while the backside of the whole structure has been etched. As a result, the SSL relative to angular rotation of the incoming sound depicts the cosine dependency as an ideal pressure-gradient sensor. At the same time, the mechanical coupling leads the magnitude difference between two diaphragms which has been accounted as SSL in frequency domain. The idea behind this work has been analytical simulated first, and with the convincing mechanical results, the designed bio-inspired directional microphone (BDM) has been fabricated using commercially available MEMSCAP based on PiezoMUMPS processes. In an anechoic chamber, the fabricated device has been excited in free-field sound, and the SSL at 1 kHz frequency, rocking frequency, bending frequency, and in-between rocking and bending frequencies has been found in full compliance with the given angle of incidence of sound. With the measured inter-aural sensitivity difference (mISD) and directionality, the developed BDM has been demonstrated as a practical SSL device, and the results have been found in a perfect match with the given angle of incidence of sound. Furthermore, to facilitate the SSL in noisy environment, the noise has been optimized in all scopes, like the geometry of the diaphragm, supportive torsional beam, and sensing. As a result, the A-weighted noise of this work has been found less than 23 dBA across the audio bands, and the equivalent-input noise (EIN) has been found to be 25.52 dB SPL at 1 kHz frequency which are the lowest ever reported by a similar device. With the developed SSL in broadband-in addition to the lowest noise-the developed device can be extended in some audio applications like an HA device.

Dataset Information

Perceived Sound Quality of Hearing Aids With Varying Placements of Microphone and Receiver.

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Perceived Sound Quality of Hearing Aids With Varying Placements of Microphone and Receiver.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets