Evaluation of a near-end listening enhancement algorithm by combined speech intelligibility and listening effort measurements

Rennies, Jan; Pusch, Arne; Schepker, Henning; Doclo, Simon

doi:10.1121/1.5064956

Cited by 9 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Finally, the differences in the attenuations of the masks would be expected to influence listening effort, which is something that is not well measured by a metric such as the SII. 42,43 V. CONCLUSIONS A series of experiments have quantified the insertion losses from face masks and shields with clear plastic panels that allow speech-reading. These have then been related to the effects of speech perception through calculations of the SII.…”

Section: G Evaluation Using the Siimentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the measurement and acoustic performance of transparent face masks and shields

Cox

Dodgson

Harris

et al. 2022

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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Opaque face masks harm communication by preventing speech-reading (lip-reading) and attenuating high-frequency sound. Although transparent masks and shields (visors) with clear plastic inserts allow speech-reading, they usually create more sound attenuation than opaque masks. Consequently, an iterative process was undertaken to create a better design, and the instructions to make it are published. The experiments showed that lowering the mass of the plastic inserts decreases the high-frequency sound attenuation. A shield with a clear thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) panel had an insertion loss of (2.0 ± 1.1) dB for 1.25–8 kHz, which improves on previous designs that had attenuations of 11.9 dB and above. A cloth mask with a TPU insert was designed and had an insertion loss of (4.6 ± 2.3) dB for 2–8 kHz, which is better than the 9–22 dB reported previously in the literature. The speech intelligibility index was also evaluated. Investigations to improve measurement protocols that use either mannikins or human talkers were undertaken. Manufacturing variability and inconsistency of human speaking were greater sources of experimental error than fitting differences. It was shown that measurements from a mannikin could match those from humans if insertion losses from four human talkers were averaged.

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Section: G Evaluation Using the Siimentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the measurement and acoustic performance of transparent face masks and shields

Cox

Dodgson

Harris

et al. 2022

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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show abstract

“…Previous studies have shown that listening effort can vary with regard to the speech type [3,21] and masker type [22]. Rennies et al [3] concluded that listening effort and speech intelligibility are appropriate for assessing speech perception and algorithm performance at high SNRs and very low SNRs, respectively. We speculate that listeners choose the speech feature value with which they exert the least listening effort and maximizes their intelligibility.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies have shown that near-end listening enhancement algorithms can produce substantial intelligibility improvements in noisy conditions compared to unprocessed speech [1,2]. A new focus for speech modification techniques, over and above mere intelligibility, is to reduce listening effort [3]. One approach currently being investigated is to measure listening preference when intelligibility is at or near ceiling levels [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Spectral Tilt on Listeners’ Preferences And Intelligibility

Simantiraki

Cooke

Pantazis

2020

ICASSP 2020 - 2020 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP)

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High intelligibility can be achieved when listening to synthetic or artificially-produced speech under adverse conditions. But can listener preferences reveal any extra information when intelligibility is at ceiling? This paper describes a real-time speech modification technique which allows evaluation of the impact of individual speech properties on listeners' preferences. The current study investigates spectral tilt, a feature which also changes naturally in different speaking styles such as Lombard speech. In the listening experiment, participants were asked to adjust the spectral tilt in masked conditions; subsequently, intelligibility was assessed. Listeners preferred flatter spectral tilts as SNR decreased. Additionally, tilt preferences were evident even while intelligibility was at or close to ceiling levels, suggesting that preferences provide information over and above that measured in traditional intelligibility-based studies. On the basis of these findings a method for probabilistic modelling of listener preferences, useful in the development of speech enrichment algorithms, is proposed.

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“…The Adapt- DRC algorithm aims at a compromise between intelligibility and speech naturalness; notwithstanding smaller EIC gains, this strategy might be better suited for long listening periods. A valuable extension to the present study would be a subjective evaluation of perceived quality / naturalness / listening comfort, as well as a subjective and objective measurement of the cognitive load caused by listening to modified speech in realistic noise [16].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Near End Listening Enhancement Algorithms in Realistic Environments

Chermaz¹,

Valentini-Botinhao

Schepker

et al. 2019

Interspeech 2019

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Speech playback (e.g., TV, radio, public address) becomes harder to understand in the presence of noise and reverberation. NELE (Near End Listening Enhancement) algorithms can improve intelligibility by modifying the signal before it is played back. Substantial intelligibility improvements have been achieved in the lab for both natural and synthetic speech. However, evidence is still scarce on how these algorithms work under conditions of realistic noise and reverberation. We present a realistic test platform, featuring two representative everyday scenarios in which speech playback may occur (in the presence of both noise and reverberation): a domestic space (living room) and a public space (cafeteria). The generated stimuli are evaluated by measuring keyword accuracy rates in a listening test with normal hearing subjects. We use the new platform to compare three state-of-theart NELE algorithms, employing either noise-adaptive or nonadaptive strategies, and with or without compensation for reverberation.

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Evaluation of a near-end listening enhancement algorithm by combined speech intelligibility and listening effort measurements

Cited by 9 publications

References 13 publications

Improving the measurement and acoustic performance of transparent face masks and shields

Improving the measurement and acoustic performance of transparent face masks and shields

Effects of Spectral Tilt on Listeners’ Preferences And Intelligibility

Evaluating Near End Listening Enhancement Algorithms in Realistic Environments

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