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A New Approach to Hearing Aid Directionality: Three-Microphone and Two-Microphone Hearing Aids for Speech
Mert Kılıç1, Ahmet Alperen Akbulut1, Ahsen Kartal Özcan1
1Department of Audiology, Hamidiye Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Türkiye.
American Journal of Audiology
|December 23, 2025
Summary
The new Microphone & Receiver-In-Ear (M&RIE) hearing aid technology significantly improved speech intelligibility in noise compared to traditional omnidirectional hearing aids. This advanced directionality offers better hearing in challenging listening environments.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Hearing Science
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Sensorineural hearing loss affects speech intelligibility, especially in noisy environments.
- Traditional hearing aid directionality may not fully restore natural sound localization and clarity.
- The Microphone & Receiver-In-Ear (M&RIE) technology offers a novel approach to sound capture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the speech intelligibility (SI) performance of M&RIE hearing aid technology against traditional omnidirectional hearing aid modes.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of M&RIE directionality in various noise conditions.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-four participants with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and no prior hearing aid experience were recruited.
- Participants were fitted with hearing aids using both M&RIE and omnidirectional modes.
- Free-field hearing assessments using the Turkish Matrix Test were conducted under different signal-to-noise ratios.
Main Results:
- M&RIE technology demonstrated significantly better speech reception thresholds and SI in noise compared to the omnidirectional mode.
- Improvements were observed when the signal was presented from the front and noise from the back (p < .01).
- Enhanced SI was also found when both signal and noise originated from the front (p < .01).
Conclusions:
- M&RIE hearing aid technology significantly outperforms omnidirectional mode in speech understanding, even in challenging noise conditions.
- The natural placement of the microphone in the ear canal may contribute to M&RIE's superior performance.
- M&RIE technology holds potential benefits for a wide range of hearing aid users within its gain capabilities.
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