Simple hearing test utilizing a soundproofing headphone with acoustic filters

Abstract

Hearing loss is a significant quality-of-life (QOL) issue in aging populations and is linked to social isolation, dementia, and depression. Early detection and treatment of hearing loss are critically important aspects of preventing cognitive decline and dementia. To date, smartphone, or tablet-based hearing test methods have been proposed to increase the rate of hearing loss detection outside of the hospital. However, simple hearing tests may be performed without adequate soundproofing facilities; therefore, the reliability of such tests in noisy environments is questionable. In this study, we propose a simple hearing test method that uses a soundproof active noise control (ANC) headphone with acoustic-filtering earcups. The ANC headphones provide sufficient soundproofing over a wide frequency range, and the acoustic-filtering earcups provide effective soundproofing around the test frequency. The proposed earcup is equipped with a Helmholtz resonator (HR) array, wherein multiple HRs are densely arrayed in a honeycomb structure. The muffling effect of the HRs effectively attenuated the noise at a specific frequency. This property is useful for high-accuracy hearing tests, in which the noise around the test frequency is sufficiently reduced. The prototype device attained a maximum noise attenuation of 50 dB at approximately 4 kHz and provided hearing tests that were as accurate as those obtained in a soundproof room.