Preferred listening levels: the effect of background noise for moderate-to-profoundly hearing impaired aid users.

Abstract

The effects of background noise on the choice of preferred listening level for moderately-to-profoundly hearing impaired adults were investigated. During three listening conditions: 'quiet' (isolated monosyllables), 'suppress' (speech with noise attenuated in the gaps between words), and 'steady' (speech with continuous noise), subjects chose a level that maximized intelligibility without being uncomfortable while listening through a hearing aid. The group mean preferred level for 'suppress' was significantly higher than for 'steady', indicating that the level of noise between words influenced these subjects' choice of listening level. Average word recognition scores were higher in 'suppress' than in 'steady', but the difference was not statistically significant. Subjective loudness and quality ratings indicated no reduction in comfort or quality at the higher level for 'suppress'. The results suggest that a hearing aid that attenuated the level of background noise between words, or temporarily increased the gain during each word, would enable some listeners to tolerate higher levels of speech, thereby improving audibility and possibly speech perception while maintaining listening comfort.