title: The subjective evaluation of the expansion time constant in single-channel wide dynamic range compression hearing instruments.
abstract: The present study investigated the subjective evaluation of expansion time constants in single-channel wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) hearing instruments. Thirty participants utilized binaural WDRC hearing instruments for a two-week trial. Subjective evaluations were conducted by having each participant rate their satisfaction with the expansion time constant on a daily basis and by having each participant indicate their preferred expansion time constant following the completion of the two-week trial. Each change in expansion time constant significantly affected listener satisfaction; however, all time constants resulted in satisfactory performance. Of the users expressing a preference, 75% preferred fast-acting over slow-acting expansion. These findings suggest that dynamic expansion parameters play an important role in determining the effectiveness of the feature for a given listener.
authors.affiliation: Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Plyler
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Trine
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blair Hill
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000523:psychology*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008144:Loudness Perception; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D017755:Prosthesis Fitting; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors