Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 20, 2025

Sound Source Localization Testing in Single-sided Deafness Following Bone Conduction Intervention
Published on: December 20, 2024
Impact of Reverberation on Speech Perception and Sound Localization Accuracy in Cochlear Implant Users With
Monika Körtje1, Anja Eichenauer1, Timo Stöver2
1Audiological Acoustics.
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to compare the impact of reverberation on sound localization accuracy and speech perception in noise between subjects with single-sided deafness using a cochlear implant (SSD-CI) and a normal-hearing control group.
Methods:
Nine SSD-CI subjects and 21 normal-hearing subjects participated in the study. In Experiment 1, the sound localization accuracy was measured with and without reverberation. In Experiment 2, speech reception thresholds were determined with four asymmetrically arranged noise sources in free-field and in reverberation. For the realization of reverberation, a room simulation system comprising of 128 loudspeakers was used.
Results:
No significant impact of reverberation was found on the sound localization accuracy of the SSD-CI subjects (free-field: 12.6°, reverberation: 11.9°), whereas the normal-hearing subjects performed significantly worse in reverberation (free-field: 1.8°, reverberation: 3.3°).Both subject groups experienced significantly deteriorated speech reception thresholds due to reverberation (pSSD-CI = 0.008, pNH < 0.001). Mean speech reception thresholds in the SSD-CI subjects were -9.7 dB SNR (free-field) and -4.2 dB SNR (reverberation) and a median individual decrease of 5.7 dB SNR in reverberation. Mean speech reception thresholds in the normal-hearing group were -14.0 dB SNR (free-field) and -10.3 dB SNR (reverberation).
Conclusion:
A strong deterioration of sound localization accuracy due to reverberation did not occur. However, although partial restoration of binaural hearing is assumed in SSD-CI users, the impact of reverberation on speech perception in noise is much stronger compared to normal-hearing.
More Related Videos
07:00Electrically Evoked Stapedius Reflex Measurements in Cochlear Implantation and Its Application in the Postoperative Fitting Process
Published on: June 21, 2024
06:04Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by...
Auditory Perception
Hearing
Echo
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case,...
The Cochlea
Perception of Sound Waves
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same...