Relative effects of low-frequency amplification on syllable recognition and speech quality.
A moderate-bandwidth master hearing aid was used to study the relationships among low-frequency response, syllable recognition scores, and perceived speech quality. As measured on KEMAR, this hearing aid provided true high-frequency emphasis in all conditions, with three degrees of relative low-frequency de-emphasis. Subjects were 12 listeners with gradually sloping sensorineural hearing loss bilaterally. Contrary to common expectations, increased low-frequency response yielded a substantial enhancement in speech quality under both quiet and babble conditions, as well as a modest improvement in syllable recognition in quiet. Furthermore, low-frequency amplification, as used in this study, resulted in no observable degradation in syllable recognition in the presence of multitalker babble. The findings have clinical implications in the evaluation and selection of hearing aids when optimization of speech quality is desired.
J L
JL
Punch
L B
LB
Beck
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013067:Speech Perception