Transverse pressure distributions in a simple model ear canal occluded by a hearing aid test fixture

The sound field in a model ear canal with a hearing aid test fixture has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. Large transverse variations of sound pressure level, as much as 20 dB at 8 kHz, were found across the inner face of the hearing aid. Variations are greatest near the outlet port of the receiver and the vent port. Deeper into the canal, the transverse variations are less significant and, at depths greater than 4 mm, only a longitudinal variation remains. The model canal was cylindrical, 7.5 mm diameter, and terminated with a Zwislocki coupler to represent absorption by the human middle ear. The outer end of the canal was driven by the receiver in the hearing aid test fixture, with the acoustic output entering the canal through a 1 mm port. The hearing aid was provided with a 20-mm-long vent, either 1 or 2 mm in diameter. The sound field inside the canal was measured using a specially designed 0.2-mm-diam probe microphone [Daigle and Stinson, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 116, 2618 (2004)]. In parallel, calculations of the interior sound field were performed using a boundary element technique and found to agree well with measurements.