The dynamic range of speech, compression, and its effect on the speech reception threshold in stationary and interrupted noise.
Changes in the speech reception threshold (SRT) after amplitude compression of speech or speech in noise may be due to changes in the dynamic range of the speech signal. However, current models set up to predict the speech intelligibility consider the dynamic range of speech to be fixed regardless of the type of compression. The present paper describes two experiments with normal-hearing subjects to examine the effect of the dynamic range on the SRT in stationary and interrupted noise after wide dynamic range compression. The dynamic range has been varied by compression or expansion of only the speech signal, leaving the masking noise unaltered, or by compression or expansion of the mixed speech-in-noise signal. The results show that compression affects the SRT, both in a positive or a negative direction, not only due to dynamic range but also due to distortion of the speech signal.
Rhebergen
Koenraad S
KS
Department of Clinical and Experimental Audiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Meibergdreff 9, 1105 AZ, The Netherlands. k.s.rhebergen@amc.uva.nl
Versfeld
Niek J
NJ
Dreschler
Wouter A
WA
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D011578:Psycholinguistics; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013060:Speech; D013067:Speech Perception; D055815:Young Adult