Effects of frequency compression and frequency transposition on fricative and affricate perception in listeners with normal hearing and mild to moderate hearing loss.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The authors have demonstrated that the limited bandwidth associated with conventional hearing aid amplification prevents useful high-frequency speech information from being transmitted. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of two popular frequency-lowering algorithms and one novel algorithm (spectral envelope decimation) in adults with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss and in normal-hearing controls.

Design

Participants listened monaurally through headphones to recordings of nine fricatives and affricates spoken by three women in a vowel-consonant context. Stimuli were mixed with speech-shaped noise at 10 dB SNR and recorded through a Widex Inteo IN-9 and a Phonak Naída UP V behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid. Frequency transposition (FT)

SUBMITTER: Alexander JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4141891 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep-Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature