Effects of Coordinated Compression and Pinna Compensation Features on Horizontal Localization Performance in Hearing Aid Users

Korhonen, Petri; Lau, Chi; Kuk, Francis; Keenan, Denise; Schumacher, Jennifer

doi:10.3766/jaaa.26.1.9

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Although modern hearing aids can have bandwidths of up to 10 kHz or more (Kuk and Baekgaard, 2009), which can help hearing-impaired subjects to understand target speech in the presence of spatially-separated masking speech (Carr Levy et al., 2015), spectral cues are seriously distorted by the use of microphones that do not sit inside the auditory canal, such as in behind-the-ear hearing aids (Moore and Popelka, 2016). There is some indication that inclusion of algorithms that preserve pinna cues can improve horizontal localization and speech perception in noise in hearing aid users (Kuk et al., 2013, Xu and Han, 2014, Korhonen et al., 2015, Gomez and Seeber, 2017). However, this will depend on whether the hearing aids provide sufficient amplification for individual listeners at the high frequencies where most of the directional information is available in these cues.…”

Section: Perceptual Training For Hearing-impaired Listenersmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the effects of unilateral hearing loss on spatial hearing

Kumpik

King

2019

Hearing Research

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The capacity of the auditory system to extract spatial information relies principally on the detection and interpretation of binaural cues, i.e., differences in the time of arrival or level of the sound between the two ears. In this review, we consider the effects of unilateral or asymmetric hearing loss on spatial hearing, with a focus on the adaptive changes in the brain that may help to compensate for an imbalance in input between the ears. Unilateral hearing loss during development weakens the brain's representation of the deprived ear, and this may outlast the restoration of function in that ear and therefore impair performance on tasks such as sound localization and spatial release from masking that rely on binaural processing. However, loss of hearing in one ear also triggers a reweighting of the cues used for sound localization, resulting in increased dependence on the spectral cues provided by the other ear for localization in azimuth, as well as adjustments in binaural sensitivity that help to offset the imbalance in inputs between the two ears. These adaptive strategies enable the developing auditory system to compensate to a large degree for asymmetric hearing loss, thereby maintaining accurate sound localization. They can also be leveraged by training following hearing loss in adulthood. Although further research is needed to determine whether this plasticity can generalize to more realistic listening conditions and to other tasks, such as spatial unmasking, the capacity of the auditory system to undergo these adaptive changes has important implications for rehabilitation strategies in the hearing impaired.

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Section: Perceptual Training For Hearing-impaired Listenersmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the effects of unilateral hearing loss on spatial hearing

Kumpik

King

2019

Hearing Research

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“…The ear signal with the higher sound intensity in a given acoustic sound source scenario is typically chosen as the one providing the input to the level-dependent gain function in both (left-ear and right-ear) DRC systems (Korhonen et al, 2015). For hearing-impaired listeners with a symmetrical hearing loss, this shared processing, often referred to as "synchronization" or "link," implies that the amplification provided by the two DRC systems is the same such that the intrinsic ILDs are preserved.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of hearing-aid dynamic range compression on spatial perception in a reverberant environment

Hassager

Wiinberg

Dau

2017

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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This study investigated the effects of fast-acting hearing-aid compression on normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners' spatial perception in a reverberant environment. Three compression schemes—independent compression at each ear, linked compression between the two ears, and “spatially ideal” compression operating solely on the dry source signal—were considered using virtualized speech and noise bursts. Listeners indicated the location and extent of their perceived sound images on the horizontal plane. Linear processing was considered as the reference condition. The results showed that both independent and linked compression resulted in more diffuse and broader sound images as well as internalization and image splits, whereby more image splits were reported for the noise bursts than for speech. Only the spatially ideal compression provided the listeners with a spatial percept similar to that obtained with linear processing. The same general pattern was observed for both listener groups. An analysis of the interaural coherence and direct-to-reverberant ratio suggested that the spatial distortions associated with independent and linked compression resulted from enhanced reverberant energy. Thus, modifications of the relation between the direct and the reverberant sound should be avoided in amplification strategies that attempt to preserve the natural sound scene while restoring loudness cues.

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“…WDRC was found to yield a strong reduction of the ILD, but there was no evidence that it decreased the natural ILD fluctuations in the stimuli including reverberation, which could explain why the distortions of ILD had no significant influence on the perception of distance (Catic et al., 2013). It is well established that the auditory system can adapt to distorted spatial cues for sound localization (Keidser et al., 2006; Korhonen et al., 2015; Mendonça, 2014), and it seems that a similar process takes place for auditory distance estimation. The IC values computed in the stimuli of the HI group were lower than those of the NH group, whatever the location of the WDRC in the audio chain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although WDRC preserves the ITD, it is known to distort the other spatial cues, yielding a reduction of the original DRR, ILD, and interaural coherence (IC; Hassager, Wiinberg, & Dau, 2017; Keidser et al., 2006). Nonetheless, it has been shown that HI listeners may get accustomed to those distortions, since their performance in sound localization is not much affected in either the horizontal plane (Courtois, Lissek, Estoppey, Oesch, & Gigandet, 2018a; Keidser et al., 2006; Korhonen, Lau, Kuk, Keenan, & Schumacher, 2015). Akeroyd (2010) measured the psychometric functions of ADP on mild-to-profound HI listeners, who were all experienced users of HAs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of Auditory Distance in Normal-Hearing and Moderate-to-Profound Hearing-Impaired Listeners

et al. 2019

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The auditory system allows the estimation of the distance to sound-emitting objects using multiple spatial cues. In virtual acoustics over headphones, a prerequisite to render auditory distance impression is sound externalization, which denotes the perception of synthesized stimuli outside of the head. Prior studies have found that listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing loss are able to perceive auditory distance and are sensitive to externalization. However, this ability may be degraded by certain factors, such as non-linear amplification in hearing aids or the use of a remote wireless microphone. In this study, 10 normal-hearing and 20 moderate-to-profound hearing-impaired listeners were instructed to estimate the distance of stimuli processed with different methods yielding various perceived auditory distances in the vicinity of the listeners. Two different configurations of non-linear amplification were implemented, and a novel feature aiming to restore a sense of distance in wireless microphone systems was tested. The results showed that the hearing-impaired listeners, even those with a profound hearing loss, were able to discriminate nearby and far sounds that were equalized in level. Their perception of auditory distance was however more contracted than in normal-hearing listeners. Non-linear amplification was found to distort the original spatial cues, but no adverse effect on the ratings of auditory distance was evident. Finally, it was shown that the novel feature was successful in allowing the hearing-impaired participants to perceive externalized sounds with wireless microphone systems.

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Effects of Coordinated Compression and Pinna Compensation Features on Horizontal Localization Performance in Hearing Aid Users

Abstract: This study confirmed that the use of the PC feature improved localization for sounds arriving from behind the listener. The use of IE may improve localization for some listeners for sounds arriving from the sides.

Cited by 8 publications

References 19 publications

A review of the effects of unilateral hearing loss on spatial hearing

A review of the effects of unilateral hearing loss on spatial hearing

Effects of hearing-aid dynamic range compression on spatial perception in a reverberant environment

Perception of Auditory Distance in Normal-Hearing and Moderate-to-Profound Hearing-Impaired Listeners

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