Hearing aid sound quality optimization across different hearing aid styles

Hearing aids are a common intervention for hearing loss and current devices use sophisticated signal-processing to improve speech intelligibility (i.e., understanding words). These functions may also be detrimental to sound quality (i.e., âgoodnessâ of sound) and this detriment can be a significant barrier to hearing aid satisfaction. Increasing the hearing aid bass response can improve sound quality but doing so is not always achievable. Hearing aids do not always seal the ear, which allows for bass content to leak from the ear. Sealing the ear can also be problematic as it tends to overamplify the bass of oneâs own voice.
This project will measure how much listeners increase the hearing aid bass response relative to defaults to improve sound quality while listening to speech and music, and while wearing sealed and unsealed configurations. These measures will also be compared to ear canal recordings for each configuration. In addition, listeners will rate own-voice annoyance.
Results will produce behavioural and electroacoustic measures of preferred bass levels for sound quality and own-voice perception. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Frank Russo

Student:

Jonathan Matthew Vaisberg

Partner:

Unitron Hearing Ltd.

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Program: