Spatial Speech-in-Noise Performance in Bimodal and Single-Sided Deaf Cochlear Implant Users.

Each cochlear implant group had only eight participants, and the authors said the binaural summation analysis was exploratory because 21 participants would have been needed for adequate power. The normal-hearing controls were much younger than the implant groups, with median ages of 26.1 years, 62.5 years, and 55 years, so age may have affected comparisons with the controls. The test used stationary noise and simple five-word German matrix sentences, so it may not reflect competing talkers, fluctuating noise, or everyday conversation. The hearing aid side was simulated with software and a behind-the-ear microphone response, not the participant's own hearing aid or natural ear cues. The implant groups were older and had varied implant types, processors, and hearing aid use, and the study did not compensate for timing differences between acoustic and electric stimulation. The study used virtual acoustics to control head movement, which improves consistency but may not match real loudspeaker or room listening.

The supplied text does not report a conflicts-of-interest or funding declaration. The publication types list research support, non-U.S. government. Participants received travel reimbursement, and subjects in Oldenburg were additionally paid.

Do not conclude that two-ear listening is useless for bimodal or single-sided deaf cochlear implant users. The study found no added two-ear summation beyond the better ear, but using two ears still matched the better one-ear condition, and the better ear could switch depending on noise direction.