Individual Differences Underlying Preference for Processing Delay in Open-Fit Hearing Aids.
Borgný Súsonnudóttir, Borys Kowalewski, Georg Stiefenhofer and 1 others
PMID 39668739WHAT IT FOUND
Listeners with better ability to detect subtle changes in sound frequency spectra preferred hearing aids with shorter processing delays.
Standard hearing test scores did not predict this preference as well as this specific listening task.
Key findings
01Participants preferred shorter processing delays (0 and 0.5 ms) over longer delays (2, 5, and 10 ms) 62% of the time.
02Spectral ripple discrimination ability significantly predicted preference for short delays, explaining a large portion of the variance.
03Neither temporal processing abilities nor self-reported listening habits predicted preference for processing delay.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (N=29 for the main analysis, N=19 for the hearing-impaired subgroup), which limits the generalisability of the findings. The study used a hearing aid simulator rather than real wearable devices, so the results may not perfectly translate to clinical use. The simulator used linear amplification, which may not reflect the complex processing (like compression) used in modern hearing aids. The study could not test the patient's own voice, which is a critical factor in hearing aid satisfaction. The preference task did not define 'sound quality' for participants, relying on their subjective interpretation.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Innovation Fund Denmark and WS Audiology A/S. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that patients with normal hearing thresholds will prefer short delays. The study found that preference was predicted by spectral processing ability (SRD), not by hearing loss severity or normal hearing status alone. Some patients with hearing loss may tolerate longer delays if their spectral resolution is poor.