Spectral shaping options for persons with low‐ or high‐frequency sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract

When hearing loss is limited to one particular frequency region, amplification is traditionally provided in the region of the poorest audiometric thresholds. To the extent that audiometric data correlate with auditory system damage, the usefulness of information provided to these regions of greatest damage is questionable. Optionally, gain may be provided to frequency regions where thresholds are improving towards normal. To that end, continuous discourse intelligibility ratings and consonant discrimination scores were obtained from individuals with either low‐frequency or precipitously sloping high‐frequency sensorineural hearing loss. During testing, spectral emphasis was variously placed in regions of hearing impairment and/or improving thresholds. For the low‐frequency impaired subjects, consistently inferior subjective ratings and discrimination scores were obtained when spectral emphasis was placed solely in the region of hearing loss. For the high‐frequency impaired subjects, no single spectral weighting scheme emerged as superior or inferior. The current results are consistent with previous findings which have suggested that pure‐tone thresholds may underestimate the degree of apical region damage in low‐frequency sensorineural hearing loss. [Work supported by DRF.]