Hearing Aid Gain Research Articles

Speech perception outcomes in hearing-impaired individuals with microphone & receiver in the ear (M&RIE) hearing aids.

The Microphone and Receiver in the ear (M&RIE) hearing aid is designed to consider the pinna cues by placing an additional microphone along with a standard receiver at the entrance of the ear canal. There is a need to clinically validate the technology using speech identification measures, as a literature shortage exists. The objective of the study was to evaluate speech identification and quality rating with hearing aids fitted with standard and M&RIE receivers. Twenty individuals (mean ± SD age being 34.10 ± 11.9years) with mild-to-moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss were divided into two groups: naïve and experienced. Their speech identification obtained using the receiver in the ear hearing aid compatible with standard and M&RIE receivers were compared. The study assessed speech identification in quiet using ten sentences, calculated SNR-50 using the Spearman-Karber equation, and used an 11-point scale for self-perceived quality rating. The study analyzed data using SPSS and found no significant difference between naive and experienced hearing aid users in quiet and SNR-50 conditions (p > 0.05). However, naive users rated higher in clarity, naturalness, pleasantness, and overall impression of standard receiver settings. Across different receiver settings, both naïve and experienced groups revealed better speech identification with the M&RIE receiver for both SIS (p < 0.05) and SNR-50 (p < 0.05) measures. The study found that placing a third microphone in the ear canal improves speech identification and quality rating in both naïve and experienced users, with pinna and ear canal resonance playing a crucial role in prescribing hearing aid gain.

Prediction of pure tone thresholds using the speech reception threshold and age in elderly individuals with hearing loss.

Early detection and effective management of hearing loss constitute the key to improving the quality of life of individuals with hearing loss. However, in standardized pure tone audiometry, it is sometimes difficult for elderly patients to understand and follow all instructions. Audiologists also require time, expertise, and patience to ensure that an elderly can identify the faintest levels of stimuli during a hearing test. Therefore, this study aimed to devise and validate a formula to predict the pure tone threshold at each frequency across 0.5-4kHz (PTTs) using speech reception threshold. The 1226 audiograms of hearing-impaired individuals aged 60-90 years were reviewed. The random sample function randomly assigned 613 participants to the training and testing sets each. A linear model was created to predict the PTT value at each frequency based on variables significant at all frequencies across 0.5-4kHz. The adjusted-R2 value was considered to indicate the performance of the predictive model. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to describe the relationship between the actual and predicted PTT at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4kHz among the testing set to measure the performance of the proposed model. The predictive model was devised using variables based on the speech recognition threshold (SRT) after adjusting with age in the training set. The overall prediction accuracy demonstrated a higher adjusted-R2 ranging from 0.74 to 0.89 at frequencies of 0.5, 1, and 2kHz, whereas a low percentage of explained variance was observed at 4kHz (adjusted-R2 = 0.41). This predictive model can serve as an adjunctive clinical tool for guiding determination of the PTTs. Moreover, the predicted PTTs can be applied in the hearing aid programming software to set appropriate hearing aid gain using standard prescriptive formulas.

Comparing LTASS across languages using natural and AI speech samples

Hearing aid prescription protocols rely on estimates of speech spectra. One such estimate, the International Long-Term Average Speech Spectrum (ILTASS), is a common reference for the distribution of spectral energy within speech signals. However, recent research has suggested differences in speech spectra between some languages and the ILTASS standard. These disparities raise questions regarding the applicability of a language-general approach to hearing aid gain application. This study presents a comparative analysis of Long-Term Average Speech Spectra (LTASS) across various languages. Utilizing speech samples from both human and AI sources, LTASS was measured for speakers of different languages. Subsequently, these LTASS profiles were contrasted with the established ILTASS reference. Results reveal that while LTASS was very similar across languages, deviations were observed between LTASS derived from the human speech and AI speech data compared to ILTASS. Specifically, measured LTASS demonstrated a reduced 500 Hz peak in contrast to ILTASS. This research underscores the importance of accounting for spectral variations introduced during the recording process in the field of speech and hearing research. It also emphasizes the importance of standardized recording protocols to enhance the precision of hearing technologies.

In-situ Audiometry Compared to Conventional Audiometry for Hearing Aid Fitting.

The use of in-situ audiometry for hearing aid fitting is appealing due to its reduced resource and equipment requirements compared to standard approaches employing conventional audiometry alongside real-ear measures. However, its validity has been a subject of debate, as previous studies noted differences between hearing thresholds measured using conventional and in-situ audiometry. The differences were particularly notable for open-fit hearing aids, attributed to low-frequency leakage caused by the vent. Here, in-situ audiometry was investigated for six receiver-in-canal hearing aids from different manufacturers through three experiments. In Experiment I, the hearing aid gain was measured to investigate whether corrections were implemented to the prescribed target gain. In Experiment II, the in-situ stimuli were recorded to investigate if corrections were directly incorporated to the delivered in-situ stimulus. Finally, in Experiment III, hearing thresholds using in-situ and conventional audiometry were measured with real patients wearing open-fit hearing aids. Results indicated that (1) the hearing aid gain remained unaffected when measured with in-situ or conventional audiometry for all open-fit measurements, (2) the in-situ stimuli were adjusted for up to 30 dB at frequencies below 1000 Hz for all open-fit hearing aids except one, which also recommends the use of closed domes for all in-situ measurements, and (3) the mean interparticipant threshold difference fell within 5 dB for frequencies between 250 and 6000 Hz. The results clearly indicated that modern measured in-situ thresholds align (within 5 dB) with conventional thresholds measured, indicating the potential of in-situ audiometry for remote hearing care.

Exploring the effect of sound scene on self-directed hearing-aid gain adjustment

Self-directed gain adjustments may present a plausible solution for fitting a hearing-aid (HA) without the requirement of audiometric tests. In the current experiment, users interacted with their hearing aids using a touchscreen-enabled mobile device while a continuous speech stimulus with background noise was played in the sound field, simulating real-world sound scenes. They explored different settings by dragging a cursor on the touchscreen, experiencing real-time audio changes, and identifying their preferred amplification level. Thirteen older adults with self-identified hearing difficulties participated in the study (RHHI score ≥6). The self-fitting procedure was conducted in two sound scenes: Restaurant and Traffic. The speech level was set at 60 dB-A in both sound scenes, and the signal-to-noise ratios were 5 and 10 dB for the Restaurant and Traffic scenes, respectively. Following the self-fitting procedure, real-ear aided responses were measured for the amplification profiles obtained using the two sound scenes. The real-ear aided responses for the two scenes resembled each other, with a median correlation coefficient across participants of 0.81. Nevertheless, a marginally significant difference was found between them, mostly driven by higher or lower frequency regions. This suggests that scene-specific adjustments of hearing-aid fitting may be beneficial for some users.

Correlation between Aural/Oral Performance and Fit-to-Target Gain among Children with Moderate-to- Profound Hearing Loss Aged 5–10 Years

Background and Aim: Real-Ear Measurement (REM) enables proper fitting of the hear- ing aids to achieve the required level of amplification. This study aims to investigate the relationship between aural/oral performance and fit-to-target gain of hearing aids in chil- dren with moderate-to-profound hearing loss.&#x0D; Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 30 children with moderate-to-pro- found hearing loss aged 5–10 years. First, the parents’ evaluation of aural/oral perfor- mance of children (PEACH) questioanire was completed. Then, REM was performed using digital speech at 50, 65, 80, and 90 dB SPL at 250–8000 Hz to obtain the fit to the desired sensation level, version 5 (DSL v5) target gain.&#x0D; Results: A significant negative correlation was found between the total score of the PEACH (51.66) and the fit-to-target gain at high frequencies (r=–0.482, p=0.01). The maximum fit-to-target gain was 77.5 dB for 65 dB SPL at 6000 Hz. Most of the cases (75%) failed to come within ±5 dB of the target gain. There was a significant difference in the fit-to-target gain between low and high frequencies and between high frequencies with similar input levels.&#x0D; Conclusion: A negative correlation between aural/oral performance of children with moderate-to-profound hearing loss and fit-to-target gain of their hearing aids may indicate that a low fit-to-target gain can improve their aural/oral performance. Regular use of REM is recommended in prescribing hearing aids to these children.&#x0D; Keywords: Children; fit to target gain; hearing loss; aural/oral performance

Hearing loss classification algorithm based on the insertion gain of hearing aid

AbstractHearing loss is one of the most prevalent chronic health problems worldwide and a common intervention is the wearing of hearing aids. However, the tedious fitting procedures and limited hearing experts pose restrictions for the popularity of hearing aids. This paper introduced a hearing loss classification method based on the insertion gain of hearing aids, which aims to simplify the fitting procedure and achieve a fitting-free effect of the hearing aid, in line with current research trends in key algorithms for fitting-free hearing aids. The proposed method innovatively combines the insertion gain of hearing aids with the covariates of patient’s gender, age, wearing history to form a new set of hearing loss vectors, and then classifies the hearing loss into six categories by unsupervised cluster analysis method. Each category of representative parameters characterizes a typical type of hearing loss, which can be used as the initial parameter to improve the efficiency of hearing aid fitting. Compared with the traditional audiogram classification method AMCLASS (Automated Audiogram Classification System), the proposed classification method reflect the actual hearing loss of hearing impaired patients better. Moreover, the effectiveness of the new classification method was verified by the comparison between the obtained six sets of representative insertion gains and the inferred hearing personalization information.

Real-ear Unaided Gain in Wrestlers with Unilateral Cauliflower Ear

Background and Aim: Real-Ear Unaided Gain(REUG) can reveal the outer-ear resonance which reflects the effects of body and ear factors. Deformity in the outer ear may change the real-ear unaided responses. Cauliflower ear is a common ear deformity in wrestlers. Therefore, the use of required hearing aid gain in people with hearing loss for people with cauliflower ears may be inaccurate and causes dissatisfaction. This study aimed to compare the REUG of normal and cauliflower ear in wrestlers to investigate the frequencies at which the gain may be inaccurate.&#x0D; Methods: Ten male wrestlers with the age ranged from 21 to 31 years participated in this study. The study had within-subject design and only one group. The REUGs was recorded for both ears (normal and cauliflower ears) and the results analyzed.&#x0D; Results: The mean of REUG values were significantly different between the deformed and normal ears. There were two distinct peaks in the REUG curve of the deformed ear, while there was a single peak in that of the normal ear.&#x0D; Conclusion: The differences in the REUG at 2–6 kHz between the deformed and normal ears should be adjusted to reach the optimal hearing level for a hearing aid user with cauliflower ear.&#x0D; Keywords: Cauliflower ear; real ear unaided gain; hearing aid verification; target gain

Changes in Speech Recognition Scores and Sound Quality According to Gain Adjustment in High Frequency Bands

Purpose: In this study, changes before and after adjustment in high frequency bands were assessed for aided threshold, psychoacoustic evaluation, word recognition scores (WRSs) in noise and sound quality to aid in electroacoustic adjustment, and to improve the satisfaction of hearing aids.Methods: The subjects were 16 sensorineural hearing impaired (25 ears) with 63.4 years old of mean age, 60.8% WRS and 46.6 months of aided experience. For the experiment, hearing aid gain of high-frequency bands adjusted to preferred gain was increased to a higher level. Aided threshold, Korean version of international outcome inventory for hearing aids (K-IOI-HA), Korean version of profile of hearing aid benefit-quick version (K-PHAB-Q), WRSs in noise for 10 dB and 5 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and sound quality were subsequently evaluated after two weeks and the results were quantitatively compared before and after gain adjustment in high-frequency bands.Results: This study results in as follows; first, improvement in aided threshold for frequencies above 2.0 kHz was shown. Second, K-IOI-HA and K-PHAB-Q in easy communication and localization categories resulted in significant enhancements. Third, WRS in 5 dB and 10 dB SNR was improved. Fourth, improvements were shown for occlusion and clarity of the sentence in the evaluation of sound quality, but significant results were not shown for sharpness and loudness of noise conditions.Conclusion: With sensorineural hearing loss, a sufficient gain in high frequency bands provides improved satisfaction to hearing aids and enhanced word recognition ability in various listening environments.

Evaluation of a semi-supervised self-adjustment fine-tuning procedure for hearing aids

Objective This study investigated the effects of different adjustment criteria and sound scenes on self-adjusted hearing-aid gain settings. Self-adjusted settings were evaluated for speech recognition in noise, perceived listening effort, and preference. Design This study evaluated a semi-supervised self-adjustment fine-tuning procedure that presents realistic everyday sound scenes in a laboratory environment, using a two-dimensional user interface, and enabling simultaneous changes in amplitude and spectral slope. While exploring the two-dimensional space of parameter settings, the hearing-aid users were instructed to optimise either listening comfort or speech understanding. Study sample Twenty experienced hearing aid users (median age 69.5 years) were invited to participate in this study. Results Adjustment criterion and sound scenes had a significant effect on preferred gain settings. No differences in signal-to-noise ratios required for 50% speech intelligibility or in the perceived listening effort were observed between the adjusted settings of the two adjustment criteria. There was a preference for the self-adjusted settings over the prescriptive first fit. Conclusions Listeners could reliably select their preferred gains to the two adjustment criteria and for different speech stimuli.

Feasibility of hearing aid gain self-adjustment using speech recognition.

Personal hearing devices, such as hearing aids, may be fine-tuned by allowing the users to conduct self-adjustment. Two self-adjustment procedures were developed to collect the listener preferred gains in six octave-frequency bands from 0.25 kHz to 8 kHz. These procedures were designed to allow rapid exploration of a multi-dimensional parameter space using a simple, one-dimensional user control interface (i.e., a programmable knob). The two procedures differ in whether the user interface controls the gains in all frequency bands simultaneously (Procedure A) or only the gain in one frequency band (Procedure B) on a given trial. Monte-Carlo simulations suggested that for both procedures the gain preference identified by simulated listeners rapidly converged to the ground-truth preferred gain profile over the first 20 trials. Initial behavioral evaluations of the self-adjustment procedures, in terms of test-retest reliability, were conducted using 20 young, normal-hearing listeners. Each estimate of the preferred gain profile took less than 20 minutes. The deviation between two separate estimates of the preferred gain profile, conducted at least a week apart, was about 10 dB ~ 15 dB.

The effect of stimulus duration on preferences for gain adjustments when listening to speech

Objectives In the personalisation of hearing-aid fittings, gain is often adjusted to suit patient preferences using live speech. When using brief sentences as stimuli, the minimum gain adjustments necessary to elicit consistent preferences (“preference thresholds”) were previously found to be much greater than typical adjustments in current practice. The current study examined the role of duration on preference thresholds. Design Participants heard 2, 4 and 6-s segments of a continuous monologue presented successively in pairs. The first segment of each pair was presented at each individual’s real-ear or prescribed gain. The second segment was presented with a ±0–12 dB gain adjustment in one of three frequency bands. Participants judged whether the second was “better”, “worse” or “no different” from the first. Study sample Twenty-nine adults, all with hearing-aid experience. Results The minimum gain adjustments needed to elicit “better” or “worse” judgments decreased with increasing duration for most adjustments. Inter-participant agreement and intra-participant reliability increased with increasing duration up to 4 s, then remained stable. Conclusions Providing longer stimuli improves the likelihood of patients providing reliable judgments of hearing-aid gain adjustments, but the effect is limited, and alternative fitting methods may be more viable for effective hearing-aid personalisation.

The Frequency Characteristic of Silicone Domes in Receiver in the Canal Hearing Aids.

There are several types of silicone domes in receiver in the canal hearing aids (RICs), which have different occlusion levels. However, the frequency characteristics of each type of silicone dome are unclear. This study aimed to determine the frequency characteristics of three types of silicone domes (open domes, double-type power domes, and tulip domes) in RICs. This is an interventional study. In total, 11 participants with a normal sense of hearing were prospectively enrolled. Participants were fitted with hearing aids, which were adjusted to similar settings, and only the silicone domes were changed. The acoustic gain of hearing aids was adjusted to 20 dB in the range of 250 Hz to 4 kHz using the 2-cc coupler. We measured the real-ear aided gain (REAG) for each type of silicone dome. In each frequency, we statistically compared the REAG of each type of dome. Acoustic gain using the Open Fit coupler of each type of dome was also measured. The REAG was obtained with no leakage with open domes only at 2 kHz, and with tulip domes and double-type power domes in the range of 1 to 2 kHz. Double-type power domes obtained significantly higher REAG than tulip domes at 250 and 500 Hz. Under the Open Fit coupler, all types obtained higher acoustic gain than the REAG. This study provides the analysis of the frequency characteristics of silicone domes in RICs. The highest degree of occlusion was observed in double-type power domes, followed by tulip domes, and the lowest was observed in open domes.

Kulak kalıbı kanal uzunluğunun işitme cihazı kazancına etkisi

ABSTRACT The effect of earmold canal length on hearing aid gain Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of earmold canal length on gain at all frequencies. Material and Methods: The earmold impressions of 24 participants age range of 18-25 years were taken to extend to the second bend of the external auditory canal. Then, the earmold impressions taken for each participant; We processed it as a standard hard mold with 3 different canal lengths as 2nd bend, 1st to 2nd bend and 1st bend. Thus, real ear measurement is made for each participant with 3 different canal length earmold; Earmolds with short, medium and long canals and hearing aid gains were measured. Results: According to the results of our analysis, earmold with long canal length provided significant gains in all intensities at 500 and 750 Hz, high input sounds at 250 Hz and medium input sounds at 1000 Hz. Conclusion: Increasing the canal length in earmold provides additional gain, especially at low frequencies. Thanks to the additional gain got, it is thought that modifications to be made in the earmold can provide additional gain outside the hearing aid fitting program. Keywords: hearing aid, earmolds, gain, hearing, audiology

Manipulation of Hearing Aid Gain and Tinnitus Relief: A Paired Comparison Study.

Objectives:The objective of the study is to compare amplification strategies on tinnitus relief. A repeated measure research design was used to determine the best strategy that provides a significant relief on tinnitus and improvements in speech perception.Methods: We recruited 20 participants in the age range of 30-60 years (mean age = 47.95 years) having mild to moderately severe sloping sensorineural hearing loss with continuous tonal tinnitus. We grouped the participants into mild and severe, based on the scores obtained in the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. We evaluated tinnitus pitch and loudness using the adaptive method. Besides, we assessed signal to noise ratio 50 (SNR 50) from each of the programs. We carried out a paired comparison method to determine the best strategy among the 3 in which the maximum preference score was obtained on tinnitus relief by a test hearing aid programmed with 3 programs.Results: Each group of participants significantly preferred the strategy for the gain in hearing aid set at tinnitus pitch on tinnitus. However, there was no significant difference between the SNR 50 scores in the 3 gain settings.Conclusion: An additional gain set at tinnitus pitch after alleviating hearing loss by the prescriptive method was found to be the best strategy for effective masking of tinnitus and that led to tinnitus relief without compromising speech perception.

An innovative MEMs peizo speaker

MEMs micro-speaker development has trailed behind MEMs microphone development by over two decades due to fabrication and acoustical challenges. While MEMs microphones only need to respond to minuscule displacement, generating sound energy requires both motor force and far higher volume velocity of the transducer mechanism. Recent development of a full bandwidth piezo-MEMs micro-speaker with a silicon diaphragm creates a rigid, light, fast responding transducer with high resistance to humidity and low thermal expansion. Fabricated using a monolithic MEMS semiconductor process eliminates calibration and driver matching. 20 Hz to 20kHz frequency response is delivered in occluded earbud, IEM, and hearing aid applications. The 20 kHz resonance peak provides a smoothly increasing response in the upper octaves. This extra amplitude allows for a significant increase in hearing aid gain and bandwidth over balanced armature transducers. The device is packaged in both top- and side-fire port configurations with earbud EVKs currently shipping. Integration of the amp, on the package substrate or SiP module, opens possibilities for more compact devices, longer battery life, lower cost, and more robust construction. The combination of audio fidelity, size, and speaker to speaker uniformity is not possible with traditional voice coil or hybrid MEMS approaches.

Development of Hearing Aid Gain for Korean Hearing Impaired version 2.0 Considering Levels and Spectra of Korean Conversational Speech, and Preferred Gain

Purpose: This study aimed to report the development of Hearing Aid Gain for Korean Hearing Impaired version 2.0 (HAG-K v2.0), the Korean-type hearing aid fitting formula to improve the satisfaction of hearing aids and the communication ability of the Korean hearing impaired.Methods: HAG-K v2.0 was compared to NAL-NL2 with real-ear insertion gain (REIG) of the Korean hearing impaired, which was produced by considering most comfortable level and uncomfortable level, the levels and spectra of Korean conversational speech, band importance function, and preferred gain.Results: When REIG produced from HAG-K v2.0 was compared to NAL-NL2, it resulted low at HTL 40 and 80 dB HL and the compression threshold of HAG-K v2.0 was higher in all HTL compared to NAL-NL2. And the compression ratio was high at HTL 40 dB HL for NAL-NL2 and at 80 dB HL for HAG-K v2.0.Conclusion: HAG-K v2.0 developed in this study is the initial version of the Korean-type hearing aid fitting formula considering the characteristics of Korean conversational speech levels, spectra and preferred gain. With the systematic corrections and supplements for HAG-K v2.0 in the future, the Korean hearing impaired would benefit from this formula in electroacoustic control of the hearing aids.

Comparison of bimodal benefit for the use of DSL v5.0 and NAL-NL2 in cochlear implant listeners

Objective: For a group of bimodal subjects with moderate to severe hearing loss contralateral to the cochlear implant (CI), the bimodal benefit of the hearing aid (HA) gain prescriptions DSL v5.0, NAL-NL2 and the recipients’ own gain setting were assessed.Design: Speech perception in quiet and in noise as well as self-reported ratings of benefit were determined for all three gain-settings. Speech tests were performed in the bimodal, the HA alone and the CI alone condition. The bimodal benefit was assessed for each prescription as the difference score of the bimodal condition and the better ear.Study Sample: Twenty adults with post-lingual hearing loss.Results: Speech perception with DSL v5.0 was significantly higher compared to NAL-NL2 and the own prescription in both quiet and noise. The median bimodal benefit was highest for DSL v5.0 with an average of 15 percentage points for both words in quiet and sentences in noise.Conclusions: DSL v5.0 and NAL-NL2 are both suitable for HA fitting in bimodal users. For subjects with moderate to severe hearing loss and HA experience contralateral to the implanted side, DSL v5.0 may provide better speech perception and bimodal benefit.

Acoustic analysis of hearing aid sound therapy programs

Background: For many healthcare providers, tinnitus and hyperacusis are difficult symptoms to treat. There remains no conclusive cure for either symptom; however, helpful management strategies have been developed utilising counselling and sound therapy. Nowadays, most modern hearing aids have integrated sound therapy as a programable option; although, unlike hearing aid gain characteristics, output verification of sound therapy programs is not common practice. Recent electrophysiological studies suggest that accurately weighting the spectral content of noise in sound therapy could potentially lead to improved outcomes for tinnitus or hyperacusis patients.Methods: To determine if discrepancies exist between sound therapy programing software and hearing aid output, we compared the differences between software intensity settings and hearing aid outputs measured in a Verifit test box for three commonly dispensed manufactures. Results: Results indicate that hearing aid outputs are dramatically different from software readings, and each manufacture output was substantially different from each other. Furthermore, only one hearing aid incorporated audiometric data to normalize noise intensities across frequencies, and two of the aids reached potentially damaging levels. In sum, the data suggests clinical verification of sound therapy programs should be used to ensure the output is appropriate for individual patient’s hearing and consistent with the clinician’s desired approach to tinnitus management.

Musician and Nonmusician Hearing Aid Setting Preferences for Music and Speech Stimuli.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential group differences between musicians and nonmusicians in their self-adjusted (SA) gain and compression settings for both music and speech stimuli. Speech recognition, sound quality, and strength of preference for the SA settings and the original prescriptive (National Acoustic Laboratories-Nonlinear 2 [NAL-NL2]) settings were also compared. Method Participants included 12 musician ( M = 60 years) and 12 nonmusician ( M = 55 years) adult hearing aid users with mild-moderate hearing loss, on average. Self-adjustments were made to hearing aid gain and compression settings for 2 music stimuli and a speech stimulus. Speech recognition in quiet and noise, sound quality for 6 dimensions (clarity, pleasantness, naturalness, fullness, brightness, and overall impression), and strength of preference ratings using paired comparisons were then assessed at both the NAL-NL2 settings and the participants' SA settings. Results On average, self-adjustments made by both groups were quite small (< 5 dB for gain and < 0.5 for compression ratio). Furthermore, SA changes to gain and compression ratio were not significantly different for musicians versus nonmusicians or for music versus speech. Finally, speech perception performance and sound quality ratings did not differ for the SA settings versus the NAL-NL2 settings, with the exception of the naturalness sound quality dimension. Conclusions These data suggest that a gain-frequency response specific to musicians and/or music inputs may not be necessary. Thus, current, validated prescriptive methods continue to be well supported as an appropriate starting place for listeners with mild-moderate hearing loss using open hearing aid fittings.