Loudness balance calibration of bone conduction vibrators

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Bioacoustics
• Hearing Science

Background:

• Accurate calibration of bone conduction vibrators is crucial for hearing assessments.
• Existing methods for transferring calibration data can be complex and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare an improved monaural loudness balance method with the traditional threshold method for transferring calibration data among bone conduction vibrators.
• To evaluate the efficacy and accuracy of the monaural loudness balance procedure.

Main Methods:

• The study involved comparing two methods: an improved monaural loudness balance technique and the standard threshold method.
• Calibration data transfer was performed among three physically distinct bone conduction vibrators.

Main Results:

• The monaural loudness balance method yielded transfer factors with absolute differences of 2.5 dB or less compared to the threshold method in 19 out of 21 comparisons.
• This indicates a high degree of agreement between the two methods.

Conclusions:

• The improved monaural loudness balance method is a reliable and favorable alternative for transferring calibration data.
• This finding supports the use of the monaural loudness balance procedure in audiological applications for bone conduction vibrator calibration.