Horizontal localization with pinna compensation algorithm and inter-ear coordinated dynamic-range compression
Resumé
Many hearing-aid users show poorer aided than unaided localization performance even when audibility is accounted for. One source of potential disruption of aided localization include the use of wide dynamic range compression circuits operating independently at each ear in bilateral fittings, which can compromise the interaural-level-difference (ILD) cues used for left-right localization. The natural ILD cues can be restored by coordinating the gain between the two hearing aids wirelessly. Another potential source of disrupted localization include the absence of pinna-shadow when using behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids with omnidirectional microphones. A pinna shadow compensation feature that restores the natural attenuation for sounds originating from behind was developed. This study examined the localization performance of hearing-impaired listeners in the horizontal plane when using a BTE hearing aid incorporating inter-ear coordinated compression and a pinna-shadow compensation algorithm. Fifteen listeners who had previously participated in a localization study were recruited. The data demonstrated that the use of the pinna-shadow compensation algorithm improved the localization accuracy over a BTE hearing aid with an omnidirectional microphone. A modest improvement in localization performance was measured for some listeners when using the coordinated inter-ear compression.
Referencer
Edmondson-Jones, M., Irving, S., Moore, D.R., and Hall, D.A. (2010). “Planar localization analyses: A novel application of a centre of mass approach,” Hear. Res., 267, 4-11.
Keenan, D. (2013). “An approach to training localization,” Poster presented at Am. Acad. Aud. meeting, AudiologyNow, Anaheim, CA, April 3-6, 2013.
Keidser, G., Rohrseitz, K., Dillon, H., Hamacher, V., Carter, L., Rass, U., and Convery, E. (2006). “The effect of multi-channel wide dynamic range compression, noise reduction, and the directional microphone on horizontal localization performance in hearing aid wearers,” Int. J. Audiol., 45, 563-579.
Musa-Shufani, S., Walger, M., von Wedel, H., and Meister, H. (2006). “Influence of dynamic compression on directional hearing in the horizontal plane,” Ear Hearing, 27, 279-285.
Downloads
Publiceret
Citation/Eksport
Nummer
Sektion
Licens
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
a. Authors retain copyright* and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
*From the 2017 issue onward. The Danavox Jubilee Foundation owns the copyright of all articles published in the 1969-2015 issues. However, authors are still allowed to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
