Preferred overall loudness. II: Listening through hearing AIDS in field and laboratory tests

Karolina Smeds*, Gitte Keidser, Justin Zakis, Harvey Dillon, Arne Leijon, Frances Grant, Elizabeth Convery, Christopher Brew

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In a laboratory study, we found that normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners preferred less than normal overall calculated loudness (according to a loudness model of Moore & Glasberg, 1997). The current study verified those results using a research hearing aid. Fifteen hearing-impaired and eight normal-hearing participants used the hearing aid in the field and adjusted a volume control to give preferred loudness. The hearing aid logged the preferred volume control setting and the calculated loudness at that setting. The hearing-impaired participants preferred, in median, loudness levels of -14 phon re normal for input levels from 50 to 89 dB SPL. The normal-hearing participants preferred close to normal overall loudness. In subsequent laboratory tests, using the same hearing aid, both hearing-impaired and normal-hearing listeners preferred less than normal overall calculated loudness, and larger reductions for higher input levels. In summary, the hearing-impaired listeners preferred less than normal overall calculated loudness, whereas the results for the normal-hearing listeners were inconclusive.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12-25
Number of pages14
JournalInternational Journal of Audiology
Volume45
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2006
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Hearing aid experience
  • Impaired hearing
  • Laboratory test
  • Normal hearing
  • Normal overall loudness

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