Remote Matrix Sentence Test on Uncalibrated Consumer Devices: Test-Retest Reliability and Laboratory Agreement in...

This study investigates the impact of uncalibrated consumer hardware on the outcomes of the German Matrix Sentence Test (GMST) in a remote setting. Speech-in-noise tests like the MST are relevant in audiology, as they better reflect everyday listening conditions compared to pure-tone audiometry. Due to their suprathreshold signal presentation and robustness against calibration offsets, they are particularly suitable for remote testing. It is unclear, however, if a sensitive and efficient test like the MST exhibits the same robustness against uncontrolled conditions in remote testing with uncalibrated consumer devices. This motivates the systematic assessment of the online MST's reliability and its agreement with laboratory administration, conducted in normal-hearing participants using the browser-based platform "Virtual Hearing Clinic" (VHC). Twenty normal hearing participants completed the test in a randomized sequence: once in a lab with calibrated equipment and twice remotely via the VHC using uncalibrated consumer devices (smartphones, laptops, headphones).Resultsrevealed no significant influence of headphone type, test environment, or pure-tone average. The remote condition demonstrated high test-retest reliability (r = 0.82) and strong correlation with lab-based measurements (r = 0.78). A mean bias of 0.29 dB in speech recognition thresholds was observed with slightly better performance in the lab, though not statistically significant (p = 0.15). Overall, results demonstrate that the MST, when implemented remotely and using uncalibrated consumer hardware, yields results of accuracy and reliability comparable to those obtained in the lab for normal hearing, supporting further applications of remote hearing assessments with optimized test materials.