Speech recognition performance at loudness discomfort level

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the relationship between the loudness discomfort level (LDL) and maximum speech recognition performance for listeners with sensorineural hearing loss. Performance-intensity functions were obtained for 30 listeners with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing impairment at five speech levels from -18 to +4 dB re: the LDL. Recognition scores were obtained for three speech materials. For all speech materials, recognition scores at levels below the LDL were equivalent to or higher than scores obtained at and above the LDL. These results support the contention that the LDL represents a sound pressure level above which no improvement in speech recognition occurs, and thus, might reasonably be used as the appropriate level for the saturation sound pressure level of a hearing aid.