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A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds
Published on: November 26, 2012
Headphones over the cochlear-implant sound processor to replace direct audio input
Joshua G W Bernstein1, Julianna Voelker1, Sandeep A Phatak1
1National Military Audiology and Speech Pathology Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20889, USAjoshua.g.bernstein.civ@health.mil, julianna.r.voelker.ctr@health.mil, s.a.phatak@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Psychoacoustic stimulus presentation to the cochlear implant via direct audio input (DAI) is no longer possible for many newer sound processors (SPs). This study assessed the feasibility of placing circumaural headphones over the SP. Calibration spectra for loudspeaker, DAI, and headphone modalities were estimated by measuring cochlear-implant electrical output levels for tones presented to SPs on an acoustic manikin. Differences in calibration spectra between modalities arose mainly from microphone-response characteristics (high-frequency differences between DAI and the other modalities) or a proximity effect (low-frequency differences between headphones and loudspeaker). Calibration tables are provided to adjust for differences between the three modalities.
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