For high SNRs well above the individual SRT, the specific combination of SCNR and DRC is perceptually relevant and the integrative approaches were preferred.
In hearing aids, amplification and dynamic range compression typically aim at compensating the deficits associated with outer-hair cell (OHC) loss. Nevertheless, success shows large inter-individual variability and hearing-impaired listeners generally still have considerable problems in complex acoustic communication situations including noise and reverberation. These problems could be related to inner-hair cell (IHC) damage and reduced frequency selectivity resulting in a loss of spectro-temporal coding fidelity. Here a model-based, fast-acting dynamic compression algorithm which aims at approximating the normal-hearing BM input-output function in hearing-impaired listeners is suggested. The algorithm is fitted by estimating low-level gain loss (OHC loss) from adaptive categorical loudness scaling data and audiometric thresholds based on Ewert and Grimm [Proc. ISAAR (2012)] and Jürgens et al. Hear. Res. 270, 177 (2011)]. Aided speech intelligibility was measured in stationary and fluctuating noise and related to the estimated OHC loss. To improve diagnostics of OHC and IHC loss, a series of five psychoacoustic measurements was conducted aiming at a direct quantification of IHC damage in a group of six young and elderly normal-hearing and 12 hearing-impaired listeners. A model is suggested to account for the temporal fine-structure detection and discrimination data. [Work funded by BMBF 01EZ0741 and DFG FOR1732.]
The suggested binaural synchronisation of compression algorithms showed a limited effect on the tested outcome measures, however, linking could be situationally beneficial to preserve a natural binaural perception of the acoustical environment.
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