Compression amplification significantly alters the acoustic speech signal in comparison to linear amplification. The central hypothesis of the present study was that the compression settings of a two-channel aid that best preserved the acoustic properties of speech compared to linear amplification would yield the best perceptual results, and that the compression settings that most altered the a...

Hearing aid fitting for individuals with high-frequency impairment has been difficult because of the limited gain available at those frequencies. Special high-frequency emphasis hearing aids have been developed in an attempt to alleviate this problem. The insertion-gain responses and changes in speech-recognition performance (in quiet and in noise, aided and unaided) were measured for a commerc...

Both the overall aging of the population and its exposure to higher noise levels have increased the tendency to hearing loss and the importance of improved hearing aids for speech perception. This article reviews improvements in conventional electroacoustic hearing aids, as well as recently developed alternative classes of speech-perception aids, including surgically implanted ouchlear stimulat...

This paper is mainly aimed at developing an advanced communication aid for the people having severe speech impairment. This method gives rise to a new form of communication aid which recognizes the disordered speech of the user and builds messages which are converted into synthetic speech. While employing this method, the recognition perplexity can be increased. The selected message building te...

OBJECTIVE The Visual Input/Output Locator Algorithm (VIOLA) is a software-assisted method for prescribing amplification targets and selecting a hearing aid to match the targets. Although the procedure calls for selection and fitting of hearing aids in terms of their pure-tone input/output functions in a coupler, it is assumed that a hearing aid that matches the coupler prescription targets will...

Hearing impairment interferes with speech communication. Hearing aids are designed to provide amplification for individuals with poor auditory sensitivity. Signal processing algorithms are implemented in hearing aids to further improve speech understanding and to reduce listening effort in noise. When listening effort is reduced, fewer resources are assumed to be needed for speech perception an...

UNLABELLED Hearing aid. AIM To compare the performance, benefit and satisfaction of users of ITE, CIC and BTE digital hearing aid with noise reduction and omnidirectional and directional microphones. METHOD 34 users of hearing aid were evaluated by means of speech perception in noise tests and APHAB and IOI self assessment questionnaires. Prospective study. RESULTS Better results were obt...

Since 1990 the DRA Speech Research Unit has conducted research into applications of speech recognition technology to speech and language development for young children. This has been done in collaboration with Hereford and Worcester County Council Education Department (HWCC) and, more recently, with Sherston Software Limited, one of the UK’s leading independent educational software publishers. ...

BACKGROUND Previous studies have demonstrated that cortical auditory-evoked potentials (CAEPs) can be reliably elicited in response to speech stimuli in listeners wearing hearing aids. It is unclear, however, how close to the aided behavioral threshold (i.e., at what behavioral sensation level) a sound must be before a cortical response can reliably be detected. PURPOSE The purpose of this st...