The effect of speech and noise levels on the quality perceived by cochlear implant and normal hearing listeners

• Signal to noise ratio alone cannot represent speech quality. Speech quality perception is different in acoustic and electrical hearing. Cochlear implant users prefer softer conversational level sound. Normal hearing listeners higher are less sensitive distorted speech. Electrical by cochlear implants (CIs) may be fundamentally from the normal-hearing (NH) listeners, presumably showing unequal various environments. Noise reduction (NR) algorithms used CIs reduce favor of signal-to-noise (SNR), regardless plausible accompanying distortions that degrade perception. To gain a better understanding CI perception, present work aimed at investigating diverse conditions, including factors speech/noise levels, type noise, caused NR models. Fifteen NH seven subjects participated this study. sentences were set two levels (65 75 dB SPL (Sound Pressure Level)). Two types (Cafeteria Babble) three (55, 65, SPL) used. Sentences processed using investigate perceptual sensitivity distortion. All with combinations these sets presented they asked rate sound as perceived. The effect each factor on perceived was investigated based group-averaged rated listeners. Consistent previous studies, not distortion made algorithms. Statistical analysis showed has significant At same SNR, 65 than for users, but vice versa Therefore, study patterns between terms their complex listening environment.