Effects of Audibility and Multichannel Wide Dynamic Range Compression on Consonant Recognition for Listeners with Severe Hearing Loss

Davies-Venn, Evelyn E.; Souza, Pamela E.; Brennan, Marc A.; Stecker, G. Christopher

doi:10.1097/aud.0b013e3181aec5bc

Cited by 44 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Consistent with all of these effects, an analysis of speech and masker levels using the phase inversion technique indicated that while overall speech levels were higher for conditions with short RT and more channels, so were overall masker levels, for a net decrease in long-term output SNR. Therefore, audibility of certain speech cues for some listeners likely came at the perceptual cost of a more degraded signal (Souza & Turner, 1998, 1999; Davies-Venn et al ., 2009; Kates, 2010). …”

Section: Discusssionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of WDRC Release Time and Number of Channels on Output SNR and Speech Recognition

Alexander

Masterson

2015

Ear &Amp; Hearing

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Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the joint effects that wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) release time (RT) and number of channels have on recognition of sentences in the presence of steady and modulated maskers at different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). How the different combinations of WDRC parameters affect output SNR and the role this plays in the observed findings was also investigated. Design Twenty-four listeners with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss identified sentences mixed with steady or modulated maskers at 3 SNRs (−5, 0, +5 dB) that had been processed using a hearing aid simulator with 6 combinations of RT (40 and 640 ms) and number of channels (4, 8, and 16). Compression parameters were set using the Desired Sensation Level v5.0a prescriptive fitting method. For each condition, amplified speech and masker levels and the resultant long-term output SNR were measured. Results Speech recognition with WDRC depended on the combination of RT and number of channels, with the greatest effects observed at 0 dB input SNR, in which mean speech recognition scores varied by 10–12% across WDRC manipulations. Overall, effect sizes were generally small. Across both masker types and the three SNRs tested, the best speech recognition was obtained with 8 channels, regardless of RT. Increased speech levels, which favor audibility, were associated with the short RT and with an increase in the number of channels. These same conditions also increased masker levels by an even greater amount, for a net decrease in the long-term output SNR. Changes in long-term SNR across WDRC conditions were found to be strongly associated with changes in the temporal envelope shape as quantified by the Envelope Difference Index, however, neither of these factors fully explained the observed differences in speech recognition. Conclusions A primary finding of this study was that the number of channels had a modest effect when analyzed at each level of RT, with results suggesting that selecting 8 channels for a given RT might be the safest choice. Effects were smaller for RT, with results suggesting that short RT was slightly better when only 4 channels were used and that long RT was better when 16 channels were used. Individual differences in how listeners were influenced by audibility, output SNR, temporal distortion, and spectral distortion may have contributed to the size of the effects found in this study. Because only general suppositions could made for how each of these factors may have influenced the overall results of this study, future research would benefit from exploring the predictive value of these and other factors in selecting the processing parameters that maximize speech recognition for individuals.

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Section: Discusssionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, as presentation level changes, the relative importance of factors related to audibility and envelope distortion may change (Davies-Venn et al ., 2009; Kates, 2010). At low presentation levels, parameters that promote audibility, namely short RT and many channels, may lead to more favorable speech recognition.…”

Section: Discusssionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of WDRC Release Time and Number of Channels on Output SNR and Speech Recognition

Alexander

Masterson

2015

Ear &Amp; Hearing

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“…For low-level speech, compression amplification improves audibility, and this improvement in audibility also results in an improvement in speech recognition (e.g., Davies-Venn et al, 2007; 2009; Kates, 2010; Kuk, 2000; Souza, 2002). Less information is available regarding the benefits conferred by improved audibility at conversational and higher speech levels (Kates, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Spectral Resolution, Working Memory, and Audibility in Explaining Variance in Susceptibility to Temporal Envelope Distortion

Davies-Venn¹,

Souza²

2014

J Am Acad Audiol

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Background Several studies have shown that hearing thresholds alone cannot adequately predict listeners' success with hearing-aid amplification. Furthermore, previous studies have shown marked differences in listeners' susceptibility to distortions introduced by certain nonlinear amplification parameters. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the role of spectral resolution, working memory, and audibility in explaining perceptual susceptibility to temporal envelope and other hearing-aid compression-induced distortions for listeners with mild to moderate and moderate to severe hearing loss. Research Design A between-subjects repeated-measures design was used to compare speech recognition scores with linear versus compression amplification, for listeners with mild to moderate and moderate to severe hearing loss. Study Sample The study included 15 adult listeners with mild to moderate hearing loss and 13 adults with moderate to severe hearing loss. Data Collection/Analysis Speech recognition scores were measured for vowel-consonant-vowel syllables processed with linear, moderate compression, and extreme compression amplification. Perceptual susceptibility to compression-induced temporal envelope distortion was defined as the difference in scores between linear and compression amplification. Both overall scores and consonant feature scores (i.e., place, manner, and voicing) were analyzed. Narrowband spectral resolution was measured using individual measures of auditory filter bandwidth at 2000 Hz. Working memory was measured using the reading span test. Signal audibility was quantified using the Aided Audibility Index. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the predictive role of spectral resolution, working memory, and audibility benefit on listeners' susceptibility to compression-induced distortions. Results For all listeners, spectral resolution, working memory, and audibility benefit were significant predictors of overall distortion scores. For listeners with moderate to severe hearing loss, spectral resolution and audibility benefit predicted distortion scores for consonant place and manner of articulation features, and audibility benefit predicted distortion scores for consonant voicing features. For listeners with mild to moderate hearing loss, the model did not predict distortion scores for overall or consonant feature scores. Conclusions The results from this study suggest that when audibility is adequately controlled, measures of spectral resolution may identify the listeners who are most susceptible to compression-induced distortions. Working memory appears to modulate the negative effect of these distortions for listeners with moderate to severe hearing loss.

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“…The idea that listeners with hearing loss will be forced to shift reliance to temporal cues has been put forth in several papers (Boothroyd, Springer, Smith, & Schulman, 1988; Christensen & Humes, 1997; Davies-Venn & Souza, 2014; Davies-Venn, Souza, Brennan, & Stecker, 2009; Souza, Jenstad, & Folino, 2005). That hypothesis relies, in part, on the idea that temporal cues will be more resistant to degradation from hearing loss than spectral cues, provided the listener can access a sufficiently wide signal bandwidth.…”

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confidence: 99%

Individual Sensitivity to Spectral and Temporal Cues in Listeners With Hearing Impairment

Souza

Wright

Blackburn

et al. 2015

J Speech Lang Hear Res

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Purpose The present study was designed to evaluate use of spectral and temporal cues, under conditions where both types of cues were available. Method Participants included adults with normal hearing and hearing loss. We focused on three categories of speech cues: static spectral (spectral shape); dynamic spectral (formant change); and temporal (amplitude envelope). Spectral and/or temporal dimensions of synthetic speech were systematically manipulated along a continuum and recognition was measured using the manipulated stimuli. Level was controlled to ensure cue audibility. Discriminant function analysis was used to determine to what degree spectral and temporal information contributed to the identification of each stimulus. Results Listeners with normal hearing were influenced to a greater extent by spectral cues for all stimuli. Listeners with hearing impairment generally utilized spectral cues when the information was static (spectral shape) and but used temporal cues when the information was dynamic (formant transition). The relative use of spectral and temporal dimensions varied among individuals, especially among listeners with hearing loss. Conclusions Information about spectral and temporal cue use may aid in identifying listeners who rely to a greater extent on particular acoustic cues, and to apply that information toward therapeutic interventions.

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Effects of Audibility and Multichannel Wide Dynamic Range Compression on Consonant Recognition for Listeners with Severe Hearing Loss

Cited by 44 publications

References 65 publications

Effects of WDRC Release Time and Number of Channels on Output SNR and Speech Recognition

Effects of WDRC Release Time and Number of Channels on Output SNR and Speech Recognition

The Role of Spectral Resolution, Working Memory, and Audibility in Explaining Variance in Susceptibility to Temporal Envelope Distortion

Individual Sensitivity to Spectral and Temporal Cues in Listeners With Hearing Impairment

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