Detection, Speech Recognition, Loudness, and Preference Outcomes With a Direct Drive Hearing Aid: Effects of Bandwidth.
Paula Folkeard, Maaike Van Eeckhoutte, Suzanne Levy and 5 others
PMID 33874803WHAT IT FOUND
Full-bandwidth direct drive hearing aids improved high-frequency consonant recognition and sentence-in-noise scores compared to narrow bandwidth.
Loudness increased slightly but remained within clinical norms. Eight of fifteen participants preferred the full bandwidth setting.
Key findings
01Full bandwidth improved consonant recognition by 10.2 RAU and plural /s/ detection by 25 percentage points compared to narrow bandwidth.
02Participants required 1.1 dB less background noise to understand sentences in the full bandwidth condition.
03The full bandwidth condition was perceived as louder, but the input level difference was only 2.2 to 3.4 dB, which is unlikely to be clinically significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study had a small sample size of 15 participants. Participants only wore the full bandwidth condition during their real-world trial, which may have influenced their preference ratings. Preference was tested only with speech in quiet, so results may not generalize to complex listening environments. Low-frequency sound may have entered the ear canal through the vented ear-tips, potentially affecting loudness and perception results.
Declared interests
Susan Scollie is on the Earlens Corporation audiology advisory board. Drew Dundas and Suzanne Levy are employees of Earlens Corporation. The National Centre for Audiology received funding from Earlens Corporation for this study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the extended bandwidth will be too loud for your patients. The study found that while full bandwidth was perceived as louder, the increase was small (2.2 to 3.4 dB) and considered clinically insignificant, meaning high-frequency gain usually does not need to be reduced for comfort.