Nguyen Willy, Koo Miseung, Lee Jun Ho, Oh Seung-Ha, Park Moo Kyun
Master Sensory and Motor Neuroprosthetics, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol. 2022 May;15(2):135-143. doi: 10.21053/ceo.2021.01004. Epub 2022 Feb 8.
This study evaluated the electroacoustic characteristics of smartphone-based hearing aid applications (apps).
We investigated hearing aid apps based on processing delay measurements, hearing instrument testing, simulated real ear measurements, and a head-and-torso simulator.
Many apps exceeded the recommended level for processing delay. Hearing instrument testing showed the highest amplification characteristics and the best sound quality when a hearing aid was used, followed by the high-end apps and then the low-end apps. The simulated real ear measurements results showed that the high-end apps had a better ability to match the amplification targets than the low-end apps, but there was no consistent pattern among apps when controlling the output. Only a few apps could improve the signal-to-noise ratio in the head-and-torso simulator.
Most of the apps showed relatively poor electroacoustic performance in comparison with hearing aids. Generalizing access to hearing care through hearing aid apps induces a wide diversity of hearing performance with no fixed standard for reliability. However, we expect their overall quality to improve over the next few years.
本研究评估了基于智能手机的助听器应用程序（应用）的电声特性。
我们基于处理延迟测量、听力仪器测试、模拟真耳测量以及头和躯干模拟器对助听器应用进行了研究。
许多应用的处理延迟超过了推荐水平。听力仪器测试表明，使用助听器时具有最高的放大特性和最佳音质，其次是高端应用，然后是低端应用。模拟真耳测量结果表明，高端应用比低端应用具有更好的匹配放大目标的能力，但在控制输出时应用之间没有一致的模式。在头和躯干模拟器中，只有少数应用能够提高信噪比。
与助听器相比，大多数应用的电声性能相对较差。通过助听器应用推广听力保健服务会导致听力表现差异很大，且可靠性没有固定标准。然而，我们预计其整体质量在未来几年会有所提高。
