Work

Effects of reverberation, background talker number, and compression release time on signal-to-noise ratio

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: Wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) processing in hearing aids alters the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a speech-in-noise signal. This effect depends on the modulations of the speech and noise, input SNR, and WDRC speed. The purpose of the present experiment was to examine the change in output SNR caused by the interaction between modulation characteristics and WDRC speed. Two modulation manipulations were examined: (1) reverberation and (2) variation in background talker number. Results indicated that fast-acting WDRC altered SNR more than slow-acting WDRC; however, reverberation reduced this difference. Additionally, less modulated maskers led to poorer output SNRs than modulated maskers.

Source: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

DOI: 10.1121/1.4994683

Authors: Paul Reinhart, Pavel Zahorik, Pamela E. Souza

Institutions: Northwestern University, University of Louisville

Language: English

Topic: Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: National Institutes of Health, Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Awards: Individual Differences with WDRC Amplification in Challenging Environments, Perceptual processing of indirect sound