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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

An Automated System for Sound Localization Testing in Hearing-Impaired Listeners
Published on: March 13, 2026
Effects of noise and reverberation on virtual sound localization for listeners with bilateral cochlear implants
Yunfang Zheng1, Janet Koehnke, Joan Besing
1Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07003, USA. zhengy2@mail.montclair.edu
Objective:
This study investigated the effects of both noise and reverberation on the ability of listeners with bilateral cochlear implants (BCIs) to localize and the feasibility of using a virtual localization test to evaluate BCI users.
Design:
Seven adults with normal hearing (NH) and two adults with BCIs participated. All subjects completed the virtual localization test in quiet and at 0, -4, -8 dB signal-to-noise ratio in simulated anechoic and reverberant environments. BCI users were also tested at +4 dB signal-to-noise ratio. The noise source was at 0°. A three-word phrase was presented at 70 dB SPL from nine simulated locations in the frontal horizontal plane (±90°).
Results:
Results revealed significantly poorer localization accuracy for BCI users than NH listeners in all conditions. Significant reverberation effects were observed for BCI users but not listeners with NH.
Conclusion:
Noise and reverberation have a significant effect on BCI users, and their localization ability can be evaluated using these virtual tests.
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