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Horizontal localization with bilateral hearing aids: without is better than with
Tim Van den Bogaert1, Thomas J Klasen, Marc Moonen
1Lab exp. ORL, K. U. Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. tim.vandenbogaert@uz.kuleuven.ac.be
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|February 4, 2006
Summary
Bilateral hearing aid users show reduced directional hearing compared to normal hearing individuals. Advanced noise reduction features in hearing aids can further impair sound localization abilities.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Speech and Hearing Sciences
Background:
- Directional hearing is crucial for spatial awareness and communication.
- Hearing aids aim to improve audibility but can impact sound localization.
- Understanding the effects of modern hearing aid technology on localization is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the directional hearing performance of bilateral hearing aid users.
- To determine if bilateral hearing aids preserve essential localization cues.
- To investigate the impact of noise reduction algorithms on localization.
Main Methods:
- Localization tests were conducted in the frontal horizontal plane.
- Bilateral hearing aid users and normal hearing subjects were evaluated.
- Stimuli and noise scenarios varied, with hearing aids tested in omnidirectional and adaptive directional modes.
Main Results:
- Bilateral hearing aid users performed worse than normal hearing subjects in localization tasks.
- Localization performance decreased significantly in complex acoustic environments for both groups.
- Bilateral hearing aids did not preserve localization cues.
- Adaptive directional noise reduction negatively impacted localization performance.
Conclusions:
- Bilateral hearing aid users exhibit deficits in directional hearing compared to normal hearing individuals.
- Modern hearing aid technologies, particularly adaptive directional noise reduction, can compromise sound localization abilities.
- Further research is needed to optimize hearing aid algorithms for spatial hearing preservation.
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