Differences in sensation level between the Widex Soundtracker and two real-ear analyzers

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Hearing Aid Technology
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Widex's Compass software features SoundTracker, an algorithm for estimating aided sensation level (SL).
• The accuracy of SoundTracker's SL estimation has not been previously validated against commercial real-ear analyzers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the estimated SL from Widex SoundTracker with measured SL from Audioscan Verifit and Frye 6500 real-ear analyzers.
• To identify statistically significant differences in SL estimations at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz.

Main Methods:

• A randomized repeated measures design was employed.
• Ten subjects with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss participated.
• Real-ear in-situ thresholds and aided responses were measured; a three-factor ANOVA analyzed differences between methods, analyzers, and frequencies.

Main Results:

• Mean differences between SoundTracker and real-ear analyzers were within 2 dB for nearly 85% of measurements.
• Statistically significant differences were found between Verifit and SoundTracker at 2000 Hz (p < 0.01).
• Statistically significant differences were found between 6500 and SoundTracker at 4000 Hz (p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• SoundTracker demonstrates good agreement with real-ear analyzers, with most differences within 2 dB.
• Despite minor frequency-specific discrepancies, SoundTracker shows potential as a patient counseling tool.
• It can effectively illustrate audibility differences for hearing aid users.