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Apple AirPods Pro 2 Live Listen as an Assistive Listening Device
Mehdi Foroogozar1,2, Travis Seideman1,2, Julie Liss1,2
1Arizona State University, Tempe.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefit of the Apple AirPods Pro 2 Live Listen feature on speech recognition and recall in noise among older adults in a controlled laboratory setting.
Method:
Twenty adults aged 60-90+ years completed a modified speech-in-noise task with and without AirPods using the Live Listen feature. A Quick Speech-in-Noise Test-derived task measured recognition and recall under both conditions. Participants also completed audiometric screening, working memory assessment, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss estimation. Paired t tests and multiple regression analyses were used to assess performance differences and predictors.
Results:
Participants demonstrated significantly higher speech recognition (p < .00001) and recall (p = .00023) when using Live Listen. Recognition improvements were predicted by age, SNR loss, and sex, while recall improvements showed no significant predictors.
Conclusions:
The Live Listen feature of the Apple AirPods Pro 2 significantly improved speech-in-noise performance in older adults. These preliminary findings support its potential as an affordable assistive tool in noisy environments, such as hospitals, where traditional hearing aids may be unavailable.
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