Preferences for digital noise reduction and microphone mode settings in hearing-impaired listeners with low and high tolerances for background noise

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether people with low and high acceptable noise levels (ANLs) have different preferences for aggressiveness of noise reduction (NR) and microphone mode, and whether they get different noise tolerance benefit with these two features.

Design: Participants completed laboratory tests of unaided ANL and aided modified ANLs (with speech fixed at two levels) and preferences (at two SNRs) while listening to four levels of NR, three microphone modes and four combinations of NR/directionality.

Study sample: Twenty adults with hearing loss; 10 with low ANLs and 10 with high ANLs.

Results: Seven individuals with low ANLs and 10 individuals with high ANLs preferred the maximum NR setting; the remaining three individuals with low ANLs had inconsistent preference for NR. Eight people in each ANL group preferred the maximum directional setting (broadband (BB) directionality), the remaining two people in each group had inconsistent preferences for microphone mode.

Conclusions: Because most participants preferred the maximum NR and directionality settings, ANLs could not be used to differentially prescribe these hearing aid settings.

Keywords:

• Acceptable noise level
• noise reduction
• directional microphone
• hearing aid
• preferences

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Aaron Rendahl for his contributions to the statistical analysis and Krishna Rodemerk, Ben Waite and Ivo Merks for their assistance with the KEMAR recordings and Hagerman analysis.

Declaration of interest

Parts of this study were presented at professional conferences:

Recker, K., Smith, S., Goyette, A., Spanos, G., & Galster, J. (2018, March 27). Can preferences for strength of NR or microphone mode be predicted based on a measure of noise tolerance? Podium presentation presented at the annual meeting of the Joint Defence Veterans Audiology Association, Atlanta, GA.

Galster, J. (2017, October 20). Does noise tolerance predict patient preference for digital NR? Podium presentation presented at the annual meeting of the Europäische Union der Hörakustiker e. V., Nürnberg, Germany.

Recker, K. (2017, March 2). Individualising the hearing device prescription by addressing subjective variability. Development webinar presented to the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists. https://www.bshaa.com/bshaa-events/Individualising-the-Hearing-Device-Prescription-by-Addressing-Subjective-Variability-/44407

Recker, K., Goyette, A., Galster, J. (2017, August 23). Preferences for digital NR & directional microphone settings. Poster session presented at the biennial meeting of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research, Nyborg, Denmark.

All authors were, at the time this research was conducted, employees of Starkey Hearing Technologies.