| Title | Digital noise reduction: outcomes from laboratory and field studies. | | Author(s) | Bentler R, Wu YH, Kettel J, Hurtig R | | Institution | Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. ruth-bentler@uiowa.edu | | Source | Int J Audiol 2008 Aug; 47(8):447-60. | | Abstract | The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a digital noise reduction (DNR) scheme implemented in a current commercial hearing aid. In a double-blinded design, three conditions of onset time (4, 8, 16 seconds) were randomly assigned to the 25 subjects, plus one condition wherein the noise-reduction feature was disengaged. Subsequently, a fifth trial/condition, wherein the subject had access to three memories in which the different onsets were programmed, was carried out. For each of the five conditions, the subjects had an at-home trial, prior to obtaining self-report measures. Laboratory measures of speech perception showed no effect of the DNR, with or without the provision of visual cues. Laboratory-based ratings of ease of listening showed DNR-on (all onset times) to be rated significantly better than DNR-off; for ratings of listening comfort, the 4-second onset time was rated significantly lower (poorer) than the 8-second onset or the DNR-off condition; for ratings of sound quality, DNR-on or -off had no differential effect. Self-report measures indicated significantly higher aversiveness in the DNR-off condition compared to the pre-test scores. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
| | PubMed ID | 18698521 |
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