The Effect of Microphone Placement on Interaural Level Differences and Sound Localization Across the Horizontal Plane in Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users.
Heath G Jones, Alan Kan, Ruth Y Litovsky
PMID 27054512WHAT IT FOUND
After brief testing, 8 bilateral cochlear implant users had larger level differences between ears and slightly better sound localization with in-ear microphones than behind-ear or shoulder placement.
The gain was small, and not every user improved.
Key findings
01Microphones placed in the ear captured a wider range of level differences between ears than microphones placed behind the ear or on the shoulders.
02Average localization error was lower with in-ear microphones than with behind-ear or shoulder microphones, but the gain was small and not every participant improved.
03Participants whose microphones delivered a wider or steeper pattern of level differences tended to make smaller localization errors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 8 adults participated, so the result may not apply broadly. Participants had no training or experience with in-ear microphones before testing, so any benefit could be different after prolonged use. The average localization gain was small, and not every participant improved. The study tested horizontal-plane localization in a sound booth, not everyday listening, speech recognition in noise, or communication outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that moving a patient's microphone into the ear will reliably improve everyday sound localization. The study tested only 8 adults acutely, the average gain was small, and not every participant improved.