Evaluation of combined dynamic compression and single channel noise reduction for hearing aid applications

Kortlang, Steffen; Chen, Zhangli; Gerkmann, Timo; Kollmeier, Birger; Hohmann, Volker; Ewert, Stephan D.

doi:10.1080/14992027.2017.1300695

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The combined effects, which may vary greatly across commercially available HAs (Brons et al., 2015), must be considered. Kortlang et al. (2018) evaluated three combined implementations of NR and compression.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The combined effects, which may vary greatly across commercially available HAs (Brons et al, 2015), must be considered. Kortlang et al (2018) evaluated three combined implementations of NR and compression. They showed that parallel operation of NR and compression denoted as (p) in their publication, reduced noise annoyance for listeners with hearing loss more effectively than a serial implementation.…”

Section: Sound Quality Comparisonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Can Dual Compression Offer Better Mandarin Speech Intelligibility and Sound Quality Than Fast-Acting Compression?

Chen

Wong

Kuehnel³

et al. 2021

Trends in Hearing

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of dual compression for Mandarin-speaking hearing aid users. Dual compression combines fast and slow compressors operating simultaneously across all frequency channels. The study participants were 31 hearing aid users with symmetrical moderate-to-severe hearing loss, with a mean age of 67 years. A new pair of 20-channel behind-the-ear hearing aids (i.e., Phonak Bolero B90-P) was used during the testing. The results revealed a significant improvement in speech reception thresholds in noise when switching from fast-acting compression to dual compression. The sound quality ratings revealed that most listeners preferred dual compression to fast-acting compression for listening effort, listening comfort, speech clarity, and overall sound quality at +4 dB signal-to-noise ratio. These results are consistent with predictions based on the theoretical understanding of dual and fast-acting compression. However, whether these results can be generalized to other languages or other dual compression systems should be verified by future studies.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sound Quality Comparisonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Dual Compression Offer Better Mandarin Speech Intelligibility and Sound Quality Than Fast-Acting Compression?

Chen

Wong

Kuehnel³

et al. 2021

Trends in Hearing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Naylor and Johannesson (2009) observed this effect in commercial hearing aids and showed that it depends on the type of noise, filterbank structure, and envelope time constants. Brons et al (2015) and Miller et al (2017) demonstrated the effect in more recent hearing aids that include noise reduction algorithms, which are also nonlinear and can interact with DRC in complex ways (Kortlang et al, 2018). Like the other nonlinear distortion effects described here, SNR reduction appears to be more severe for fast compression (Alexander and Masterson, 2015;May et al, 2018).…”

Section: Signal-to-noise Ratiomentioning

confidence: 60%

Modeling the effects of dynamic range compression on signals in noise

Corey,

Singer

2020

Preprint

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Hearing aids use dynamic range compression (DRC), a form of automatic gain control, to make quiet sounds louder and loud sounds quieter. Compression can improve listening comfort, but it can also cause distortion in noisy environments. It has been widely reported that DRC performs poorly in noise, but there has been little mathematical analysis of these distortion effects. This work introduces a mathematical model to study the behavior of DRC in noise. Using statistical assumptions about the signal envelopes, we define an effective compression function that models the compression applied to one signal in the presence of another. This framework is used to prove results about DRC that have been previously observed experimentally: that when DRC is applied to a mixture of signals, uncorrelated signal envelopes become negatively correlated; that the effective compression applied to each sound in a mixture is weaker than it would have been for the signal alone; and that compression can reduce the long-term signal-to-noise ratio in certain conditions. These theoretical results are supported by software experiments using recorded speech signals.

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“…Instead, the properties of source-independent compression can be approximated by combining source separation and compression ( Corey & Singer, 2017 ; Ngo et al, 2008 ; Kortlang et al, 2018 ; Llave et al, 2020 ) or by using an adaptive compression system that adjusts the release time of the compressor based on the detection of the target signal ( May et al, 2018 ; Hassager et al, 2017 ; May et al, 2020 ). Listening tests have shown that combining source separation and WDRC can reduce noise “annoyance” but does not improve speech intelligibility compared to a system with linear gain ( Brons et al, 2015 ; Kortlang et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Data-driven Distance Metric for Evaluating the effects of Dynamic Range Compression in Adverse Conditions

Overby,

Dau,

May

2023

Trends in Hearing

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Dynamic range compression is a crucial component in hearing aids, aiming to restore audibility for hearing-impaired listeners. However, determining suitable compression parameters, such as the time constants for the level estimation stage, remains a topic of debate, as the perceptual benefit of different parameter configurations varies depending on the acoustic conditions. In this study, a data-driven distance metric based on physical metrics was developed to evaluate and compare the performance of various compression systems. This analysis encompassed fast-acting and slow-acting compression, as well as a “scene-aware” compression that dynamically adjusted the release time constant based on the presence of the target. A reference system called “source-independent compression” was also considered, which had access to individual speech and noise signals. Multiple physical metrics were employed to assess the effects of these different compression systems under diverse acoustic conditions, including varying levels of interfering noise and degrees of room reverberation. Factor analysis was applied to derive a concise set of interpretable features representing the impact of compression, expressed as linear combinations of carefully selected objective metrics. The reduced dimensional representation enabled the use of the Manhattan distance to measure the similarity between the compression systems. Results demonstrated that the scene-aware compressor generally exhibited a smaller distance to the reference system compared to both the fast-acting and slow-acting compressors. This finding suggests that an adaptive compression system holds potential benefits across a range of acoustic conditions.

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Evaluation of combined dynamic compression and single channel noise reduction for hearing aid applications

Abstract: For high SNRs well above the individual SRT, the specific combination of SCNR and DRC is perceptually relevant and the integrative approaches were preferred.

Cited by 7 publications

References 31 publications

Can Dual Compression Offer Better Mandarin Speech Intelligibility and Sound Quality Than Fast-Acting Compression?

Can Dual Compression Offer Better Mandarin Speech Intelligibility and Sound Quality Than Fast-Acting Compression?

Modeling the effects of dynamic range compression on signals in noise

A Data-driven Distance Metric for Evaluating the effects of Dynamic Range Compression in Adverse Conditions

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