Self-Perceived Own-Voice Level and Sound Quality in Hearing Aid Users
By Laugesen, Soren; Jensen, Niels Sogaard; Maas, Patrick; Nielsen, Claus; Hearing Review,Publication Date: January 2008
Study focused on speakers’ own perception of their voice as a function of hearing aid amplification when speaking at the adequate level for the occasion. Four male and 3 female speakers aged 27 to 74 years participated in the study. Participants had normal voices and hearing losses as close as possible to the fitting range of the experimental bilateral hearing aid used. The speakers received amplification varying among 4 alternatives: (1) 0dB IG: Transparent hearing aid, linear, unity insertion gain; (2) Low-gain slow-acting compression prescription; (3) High-gain fast-acting compression prescription; or (4) Half-gain prescription, linear setting. The experiment was carried out in a quiet corridor where each speaker addressed a listener/intervener with a predefined question across a range of distances from 1.5 and 20 meters, repeating the question until a satisfactory version was acknowledged. Two consecutive sessions were conducted, where speakers were asked to rate the self-perceived own-voice level, followed by self-perceived sound quality. Results showed that none of the 4 gain prescriptions tested was able to provide adequate self-perceived own-voice level or optimal own-voice sound quality across the range of distances. The finding that less gain was preferred for a loud voice was subsequently implemented in the MyVoice feature of the Oticon Epoq hearing aid.
Assistive Products Discussed: EPOQ HEARING AID
Published by: Ascend Media LLC (Website:http://www.ascendmedia.com)
Link to text: http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/articles/2008-01_04.asp
