Predicting the benefit of binaural cue preservation in bilateral directional processing schemes for listeners with impaired hearing

Authors

  • Thomas Brand Medizinische Physik and Cluster of Excellence “Hearing4All”, Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
  • Christopher F. Hauth Medizinische Physik and Cluster of Excellence “Hearing4All”, Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
  • Kirsten C. Wagener Hörzentrum Oldenburg GmbH and Cluster of Excellence “Hearing4All”, Oldenburg, Germany
  • Tobias Neher Medizinische Physik and Cluster of Excellence “Hearing4All”, Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany; Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

Keywords:

speech intelligibility, informational masking, energetic masking, speech maskers

Abstract

Linked pairs of hearing aids offer various possibilities for directional processing providing adjustable trade-off between improving signal-to-noise ratio and preserving binaural listening. The benefit depends on the processing scheme, the acoustic scenario, and the listener’s ability to exploit binaural cues. Neher et al. (2017) investigated candidacy for different bilateral processing schemes for 20 elderly listeners with symmetric and 19 age matched listeners with asymmetric hearing thresholds below 2 kHz. The acoustic scenarios consisted of a frontal target talker presented against two intelligible or unintelligible speech maskers from ±60° azimuth. In this study, the speech reception threshold (SRT) data were compared to predictions of the binaural speech intelligibility model (BSIM; Beutelmann et al., 2010), which was used to model pure better-ear-glimpsing as well as additional binaural unmasking. The speech intelligibility index (SII), which served as backend of BSIM, was calibrated to an individual reference value at the SRT for each listener. This reference value mirrors the amount of acoustical information needed by the listener to achieve the SRT and correlated with the listeners’ ability to process temporal fine structure. BSIM revealed a benefit due to binaural processing in well-performing listeners when processing provided low-frequency interaural timing cues.

References

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Neher, T., Wagener, K.C., and Latzel, M. (2017). “Speech reception with different bilateral directional processing schemes: Influence of binaural hearing, audiometric asymmetry, and acoustic scenario,” Hear. Res. 353, 36-48.

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Adaptive processes in hearing

Additional Files

Published

2018-01-02

How to Cite

Brand, T., Hauth, C. F., Wagener, K. C., & Neher, T. (2018). Predicting the benefit of binaural cue preservation in bilateral directional processing schemes for listeners with impaired hearing. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research, 6, 335–342. Retrieved from https://proceedings.isaar.eu/index.php/isaarproc/article/view/2017-41

Issue

Vol. 6 (2017): Adaptive Processes in Hearing

Section

2017/6. Advances in hearing-instrument features and related effects

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