Abstract
Speech audiometry with two hearing aids of the pocket type was carried out in persons with normal and with impaired hearing. The signal loudspeaker was placed 45° to the left and the louderspeaker giving USASI noise of 55 dB SPL was 45° to the right. With hearing aids placed on the right and left side of the chest the discrimination was significant better than when both hearing aids were located close to each other in front of the chest. In the normally hearing persons the difference at 50% discrimination score was 5.8 dB, in the hearing-impaired persons 4.9 dB. It is probably not a good solution to put two hearing aids together so that they form a single unit because this does not permit the patient to benefit from the acoustical shielding effect of the body.