What can be done for the recruiting ear?
Probably one of the greatest problems in hearing aid fitting is to try to adapt hearing amplification to the recruiting ear. Sound is not loud enough, and then it is too loud. Microchips have permitted hearing aids to be smaller and smaller. However, they still remain either linear output- or input-compression types. Log-linear amplification permits the "smart aid" to automatically decrease the gain as the input power of speech or noise increases. This together with a patented low-frequency signal processor permits maximum discrimination with minimal violation of the patient's threshold of discomfort. This is a considerable step in ameliorating the major problem of the recruiting ear.
D001309:Auditory Threshold; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D012001:Hyperacusis / Q000503:physiopathology; D009622:Noise