The use of single-channel compression for the improvement of speech intelligibility

In this study, speech perception with commercially available linear and single-channel input- and output-dependent compression aids was investigated. Although compression has been introduced as a method of limiting the maximum output, theoretically expectations have been raised that a gain in speech intelligibility could also be obtained by a better use of the reduced dynamic range of the patient. It turned out that there was no significant difference in speech reception thresholds obtained both in quiet and in noise between the aids used for a group of 12 hearing-impaired hearing-aid users as a whole, or for different subgroups thereof.