A method for quantifying the effects of non-linear hearing- aid signal-processing on interaural level difference cues in conditions with multiple sound sources

Authors

  • Thomas Behrens Oticon Research Centre, Eriksholm, DK-3070 Snekkersten, Denmark
  • Patrick Maas Oticon A/S, DK-2765 Smørum, Denmark
  • Tobias Neher Oticon Research Centre, Eriksholm, DK-3070 Snekkersten, Denmark

Abstract

Measuring the effects of non-linear hearing aid algorithms on Interaural Level Differences (ILD) in multi-source environments is not straightforward because the principle of superposition cannot be applied. In order to correctly drive the hearing aids’ compressors, for example, the hearing aids must be presented with the intended mixture of signals. At the output side of the hearing aids, the signal mixtures must then be separated in order to be able to compute source-specific ‘aided ILDs’. Such signal separation was realized by using methods previously developed by Hagerman and Olofsson [Acta Acustica 90, 356-361 (2004)] that were extended to work in a free-field set-up with up to three spatially separated concurrent sound sources presented from fixed positions. In the following, we report on how compression in bilateral hearing aids may change ILD cues by a considerable magnitude. We further show how ILD effects depend on the compression parameters as well as the types and number of signals presented.

References

Hagerman, B., and Olofsson, A. (2004). “A method to measure the effect of noise reduction algorithms using simultaneous speech and noise,” Acta Acustica 90, 356-361.

Naylor, G., and Johannesson, R. B. (2009). “Long-Term Signal-to-Noise Ratio at the Input and Output of Amplitude-Compression Systems,” J. Am. Acad. Audiol. 20, 161-171.

Singh, G., Pichora-Fuller, M. K., Behrens, B., and Neher, T. (2009). “The effect of hearing loss on auditory spatial attention”, ISAAR Proceedings, Elsinore, Denmark.

Additional Files

Published

2009-12-15

How to Cite

Behrens, T., Maas, P., & Neher, T. (2009). A method for quantifying the effects of non-linear hearing- aid signal-processing on interaural level difference cues in conditions with multiple sound sources. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research, 2, 425–434. Retrieved from https://proceedings.isaar.eu/index.php/isaarproc/article/view/2009-43

Issue

Vol. 2 (2009): Binaural Processing and Spatial Hearing

Section

2009/4. Recent concepts in binaural cochlear-implant and hearing-aid processing

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