Influence of compact disk recording protocols on reliability and comparability of speech audiometry outcomes: acoustic analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether different compact disk recording protocols, used to prepare speech test material, affect the reliability and comparability of speech audiometry testing.


METHODS
We conducted acoustic analysis of compact disks used in clinical practice, to determine whether speech material had been recorded using similar procedures. To assess the impact of different recording procedures on speech test outcomes, normal hearing subjects were tested using differently prepared compact disks, and their psychometric curves compared.


RESULTS
Acoustic analysis revealed that speech material had been recorded using different protocols. The major difference was the gain between the levels at which the speech material and the calibration signal had been recorded. Although correct calibration of the audiometer was performed for each compact disk before testing, speech recognition thresholds and maximum intelligibility thresholds differed significantly between compact disks (p < 0.05), and were influenced by the gain between the recording level of the speech material and the calibration signal.


CONCLUSIONS
To ensure the reliability and comparability of speech test outcomes obtained using different compact disks, it is recommended to check for possible differences in the recording gains used to prepare the compact disks, and then to compensate for any differences before testing.
Di Berardino
F
F
Audiology Unit, Department of Otolaryngology, University of Milan, Fondazione Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Italy.
Tognola
G
G
Paglialonga
A
A
Alpini
D
D
Grandori
F
F
Cesarani
A
A
D000162:Acoustics; D000328:Adult; D001302:Audiometry, Speech / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D002138:Calibration; D016250:Compact Disks / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D013637:Tape Recording / Q000592:standards*; D055815:Young Adult