Complex and pure-tone signals in the evaluation of hearing-aid characteristics

In recent years, a number of commercially available systems have been developed to analyze the electroacoustic characteristics of hearing aids. In addition to pure-tone signals, these systems often use a wide variety of complex signals such as broadband noise, clicks, and multitonal complexes. In this paper, a number of practical and theoretical issues concerning the use of pure-tone and complex signals in the evaluation of hearing-aid characteristics are described. The circumstances under which discrepancies in estimated gain and maximum output might occur using these two types of signals are described and the clinical implications of these differences are discussed.