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Effect of improving audibility on better-ear glimpsing using non-linear amplification
Baljeet Rana1, Jörg M Buchholz1
1Department of Linguistics, 16 University Avenue, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|January 3, 2019
Summary
Better-ear glimpsing (BEG) uses sound level differences to improve speech understanding in noise for hearing-impaired listeners. Extending these differences to low frequencies and using compression offers significant benefits, especially with louder sounds.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Speech processing
- Psychoacoustics
Background:
- Better-ear glimpsing (BEG) leverages interaural level differences (ILDs) to enhance speech intelligibility in noisy environments.
- Hearing-impaired (HI) listeners often experience reduced BEG benefits due to high-frequency hearing loss, with amplification limited by loudness discomfort.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of extending ILDs to low frequencies combined with wide dynamic range compression for improving BEG in HI listeners.
- To assess the impact of masker levels and interaural stimulus manipulations on speech intelligibility and BEG performance.
Main Methods:
- 13 HI listeners participated in speech intelligibility and BEG tests under varying masker levels and interaural stimulus conditions.
- Wide dynamic range compression was applied, contrasting with previous linear stimulus manipulations.
- Artificial extension of ILDs to low frequencies and infinite (broadband) ILDs were explored.
Main Results:
- Speech intelligibility and BEG performance improved with increasing masker levels at low signal levels, but this effect diminished at higher levels due to compression.
- Artificially extending ILDs provided an additional spatial benefit of up to 5 dB in speech reception thresholds.
- The benefit of extended ILDs increased with signal level, complementing natural ILDs and interaural time differences.
Conclusions:
- Extending ILDs to low frequencies, particularly with wide dynamic range compression, offers a promising strategy to enhance BEG for HI listeners.
- The findings suggest that manipulating ILDs, especially broadband ILDs, can significantly improve speech reception in challenging auditory environments.
- Further research into optimal compression strategies and ILD extension is warranted to maximize benefits for HI individuals.
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