Intersubject variability of real-ear sound pressure level: conventional and insert earphones

Measures of the sound pressure level (SPL) near the eardrum were determined at discrete frequencies between 500 and 4000 Hz on 50 ears using TDH-39P and ER-3A earphones with the attenuator of an audiometer fixed at 90 dB HL. Results revealed significant differences in the measured SPL between the two earphones at all test frequencies. Results also revealed large intersubject differences in the SPL measured near the eardrum for both earphones. The results of this study highlight the large intersubject variability associated with measuring the SPL at the eardrum and point out the difficulty in accurately predicting individual performance from averaged group data.