Relationship between aided preferred listening level and long-term listening range

The long-term listening range was defined as extending, at any frequency, from the threshold of audibility to the upper limit of the comfortable loudness range. The relationship between the aided preferred listening level and the long-term listening range was investigated by analyzing data obtained from 16 hearing impaired subjects. Results support a tentative conclusion that the aided preferred listening level is equal to the midpoint of the long-term listening range. Application of this relationship to the specification of frequency/gain function is discussed.