Abstract
ObjectivesCombined electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) is a well-accepted therapeutic treatment for cochlear implant (CI) users with residual hearing in the low frequencies but severe to profound hearing loss in the high frequencies. The recently introduced SONNETeas audio processor offers different microphone directionality (MD) settings and wind noise reduction (WNR) as front-end processing. The aim of this study was to compare speech perception in quiet and noise between two EAS audio processors DUET 2 and SONNETeas, to assess the impact of MD and WNR on speech perception in EAS users in the absence of wind. Furthermore, subjective rating of hearing performance was registered.MethodSpeech perception and subjective rating with SONNETeas or DUET 2 audio processor were assessed in 10 experienced EAS users. Speech perception was measured in quiet and in a diffuse noise setup (MSNF). The SONNETeas processor was tested with three MD settings omnidirectional/natural/adaptive and with different intensities of WNR. Subjective rating of auditory benefit and sound quality was rated using two questionnaires.ResultsThere was no significant difference between DUET 2 and SONNETeas processor using the omnidirectional microphone in quiet and in noise. There was a significant improvement in SRT with MD settings natural (2.2 dB) and adaptive (3.6 dB). No detrimental effect of the WNR algorithm on speech perception was found in the absence of wind. Sound quality was rated as “moderate” for both audio processors.ConclusionsThe different MD settings of the SONNETeas can provide EAS users with better speech perception compared to an omnidirectional microphone. Concerning speech perception in quiet and quality of life, the performance of the DUET 2 and SONNETeas audio processors was comparable.
Highlights
Combined electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) is a well-accepted therapeutic treatment for cochlear implant (CI) users with residual hearing in the low frequencies but severe to profound hearing loss in the high frequencies, i.e. ski slope-type hearing loss [1]
There was no significant difference between DUET 2 and SONNETeas processor using the omnidirectional microphone in quiet and in noise
The different microphone directionality (MD) settings of the SONNETeas can provide EAS users with better speech perception compared to an omnidirectional microphone
Summary
Combined electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) is a well-accepted therapeutic treatment for cochlear implant (CI) users with residual hearing in the low frequencies but severe to profound hearing loss in the high frequencies, i.e. ski slope-type hearing loss [1]. The unilateral combination of electric stimulation of the high frequencies via a CI and acoustic stimulation of the low frequencies via a hearing aid enables users to achieve better speech perception in quiet [2,3], in noise [2,3,4,5,6,7], and better sound localization [7,8] than does electric-only stimulation. Using directional microphones is a well-established concept of front-end processing in hearing aids, which has been successfully incorporated since the 1990s [9,10]. Recent studies reported that directional microphone technology significantly improves speech reception thresholds (SRTs) in CI users ([15,16,17,18])
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