Listener Performance with a Novel Hearing Aid Frequency Lowering Technique
Listener Performance with a Novel Hearing Aid Frequency Lowering Technique
Background: Sloping hearing loss imposes limits on audibility for high-frequency sounds in many hearing
aid users. Signal processing algorithms that shift high-frequency sounds to lower frequencies have
been introduced in hearing aids to address this challenge by improving audibility of high-frequency
sounds.
Purpose: This study examined speech perception performance, listening effort, and subjective sound
quality ratings with conventional hearing aid processing and a new frequency-lowering signal processing
strategy called frequency composition (FC) in adults and children.
Research Design: Participants wore the study hearing aids in two signal processing conditions (conventional
processing versus FC) at an initial laboratory visit and subsequently at home during two approximately
six-week long trials, with the order of conditions counterbalanced across individuals in a
double-blind paradigm.
Study Sample: Children (N 5 12, 7 females, mean age in years 5 12.0, SD 5 3.0) and adults (N 5 12,
6 females, mean age in years 5 56.2, SD 5 17.6) with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss who were
full-time hearing aid users.
Data Collection and Analyses: Individual performance with each type of processing was assessed
using speech perception tasks, a measure of listening effort, and subjective sound quality surveys at
an initial visit. At the conclusion of each subsequent at-home trial, participants were retested in the laboratory.
Linear mixed effects analyses were completed for each outcome measure with signal processing
condition, age group, visit (prehome versus posthome trial), and measures of aided audibility as predictors.
Results: Overall, there were few significant differences in speech perception, listening effort, or subjective
sound quality between FC and conventional processing, effects of listener age, or longitudinal
changes in performance. Listeners preferred FC to conventional processing on one of six subjective sound
quality metrics. Better speech perception performance was consistently related to higher aided audibility.
Conclusions: These results indicate that when high-frequency speech sounds are made audible with
conventional processing, speech recognition ability and listening effort are similar between conventional
processing and FC. Despite the lack of benefit to speech perception, some listeners still preferred FC,
suggesting that qualitative measures should be considered when evaluating candidacy for this signal
processing strategy.
adults, children, frequency lowering, hearing aids, hearing loss, plural recognition
Background: Sloping hearing loss imposes limits on audibility for high-frequency sounds in many hearing
aid users. Signal processing algorithms that shift high-frequency sounds to lower frequencies have
been introduced in hearing aids to address this challenge by improving audibility of high-frequency
sounds.
Purpose: This study examined speech perception performance, listening effort, and subjective sound
quality ratings with conventional hearing aid processing and a new frequency-lowering signal processing
strategy called frequency composition (FC) in adults and children.
Research Design: Participants wore the study hearing aids in two signal processing conditions (conventional
processing versus FC) at an initial laboratory visit and subsequently at home during two approximately
six-week long trials, with the order of conditions counterbalanced across individuals in a
double-blind paradigm.
Study Sample: Children (N 5 12, 7 females, mean age in years 5 12.0, SD 5 3.0) and adults (N 5 12,
6 females, mean age in years 5 56.2, SD 5 17.6) with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss who were
full-time hearing aid users.
Data Collection and Analyses: Individual performance with each type of processing was assessed
using speech perception tasks, a measure of listening effort, and subjective sound quality surveys at
an initial visit. At the conclusion of each subsequent at-home trial, participants were retested in the laboratory.
Linear mixed effects analyses were completed for each outcome measure with signal processing
condition, age group, visit (prehome versus posthome trial), and measures of aided audibility as predictors.
Results: Overall, there were few significant differences in speech perception, listening effort, or subjective
sound quality between FC and conventional processing, effects of listener age, or longitudinal
changes in performance. Listeners preferred FC to conventional processing on one of six subjective sound
quality metrics. Better speech perception performance was consistently related to higher aided audibility.
Conclusions: These results indicate that when high-frequency speech sounds are made audible with
conventional processing, speech recognition ability and listening effort are similar between conventional
processing and FC. Despite the lack of benefit to speech perception, some listeners still preferred FC,
suggesting that qualitative measures should be considered when evaluating candidacy for this signal
processing strategy.
adults, children, frequency lowering, hearing aids, hearing loss, plural recognition