National Centre for Audiology, Western University, Department of Otolarygology.
Bose Corporation, Boston, Massachusetts.
Otol Neurotol. 2021 Feb 1;42(2):227-234. doi: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000002915.
To determine sound quality for extended bandwidth amplification using a direct drive hearing device.
Prospective double-blind within-subjects repeated measures study.
University hearing research laboratories.
Fifteen experienced hearing aid users with symmetric mild-sloping-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss.
Sound quality ratings of speech and music passages were obtained using the Multiple Stimulus with Hidden References and Anchors (MUSHRA) protocol after wearing a direct drive hearing aid for at least 4 weeks. Passages were processed to filter out low-frequency (below 123 and 313 Hz) and high-frequency (above 4455, 5583, 6987, and 10,869 Hz) energy.
Comparison of sound quality ratings for speech and music between low and high-pass filter frequencies measured from 0 to 100, where 0 represents "bad" and 100 represents "excellent."
Wider bandwidth stimuli received higher sound quality ratings compared with narrower bandwidth stimuli. Conditions with more low-frequency energy (full-band and 123 Hz cut-off) were rated as having higher sound quality. More low-frequency energy in the 123 Hz condition was rated as having higher sound versus the 313 Hz condition (mean difference: 11.2%, p = 0.001). Full-band conditions with more low- and high-frequency energy were higher than the other high-frequency cutoff conditions (mean difference range: 12.9-15%, p < 0.001).
The direct drive system provides higher sound quality of both speech and music compared to narrowband conditions. Sound quality improvements were mainly attributable to low-frequency sound, but stimuli with specific high-frequency content were rated with higher sound quality when additional high-frequency energy was present.
使用直接驱动听力设备确定宽频带放大的音质。
前瞻性、双盲、自身对照重复测量研究。
大学听力研究实验室。
15 名经验丰富的助听器使用者，患有对称的轻度到重度感音神经性听力损失。
使用多刺激隐藏参考和锚点（MUSHRA）方案佩戴直接驱动助听器至少 4 周后，获得语音和音乐片段的音质评分。处理片段以过滤掉低频（低于 123 和 313 Hz）和高频（高于 4455、5583、6987 和 10869 Hz）能量。
在 0 到 100 范围内测量的低频和高频滤波器频率之间的语音和音乐音质评分比较，其中 0 代表“差”，100 代表“优”。
与较窄带宽刺激相比，较宽带宽刺激获得的音质评分更高。具有更多低频能量（全频和 123 Hz 截止）的条件被评为具有更高的音质。123 Hz 条件下的更多低频能量比 313 Hz 条件下的更高（平均差异：11.2%，p=0.001）。具有更多低频和高频能量的全频条件比其他高频截止条件更高（平均差异范围：12.9%-15%，p<0.001）。
与窄带条件相比，直接驱动系统提供了更高的语音和音乐音质。音质的提高主要归因于低频声音，但当存在额外的高频能量时，具有特定高频内容的刺激被评为具有更高的音质。
