Evaluating Benefits of Hearing Aid Microphone Directionality Technologies on Spatial Awareness and Speech Intelligibility
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- Sonova AG
- Enrollment
- 19
- Locations
- 2
- Primary Endpoint
- Subjective Preference DIR1, DIR2, and DIR3 in Controlled Soft Noise Environments
Study Overview
Brief Summary
This study will evaluate the impact of hearing aid microphone directionality technologies and settings on speech understanding in noise for experienced hearing aid users. It will also evaluate the participant's spatial awareness of sounds using these different hearing aid microphone directionality technologies.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Na
- Intervention Model
- Single Group
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- None
Masking Description
During lab testing, participants will be aware of the device they are wearing, but will not be aware of which microphone setting is being tested.
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 90 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •18 years or older
- •experienced hearing aid users
- •moderate to moderate severe sensorineural symmetrical hearing loss defined as a difference of less than 10 dB between ears
- •must be able to use app and smart phone
Exclusion Criteria
- •asymmetrical hearing losses
- •unable or unwilling to use app and smart phone
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Subjective Preference DIR1, DIR2, and DIR3 in Controlled Soft Noise Environments
Time Frame: Third appointment (day 28 of study)
Using a sliding scale, the participant chooses their preference for listening to the sound scene, however this time, 0 indicates "not preferred" and 100 indicates "most preferred". The slider moves in 5 point increments. This is purely subjective and there is no better or worse answer.
Subjective Description of DIR1, DIR2, and DIR3 in Controlled Soft Noise Environment
Time Frame: Third appointment (day 28 of study)
Participant describes an acoustically noisy environment in which recorded speech is played from a speaker directly in front of the participant and recorded multi-talker babble is played from multiple speakers around the participant. The participant uses a slider tool to choose if scene sounds acoustically wide (hearing all noise and speech), or acoustically narrow (hearing more of the speech than the noise). The range of the slider is 0-100, with 0 indicating the sound scene is "wide" and 100 indicating the sound scene is "narrow". The slider moves in 5 point increments. This is a purely subjective description and there is no better or worse outcome.
Subjective Description of DIR1, DIR2, and DIR3 in Controlled Loud Noise Environment
Time Frame: Third appointment (day 28 of study)
Participant describes an acoustically noisy environment in which recorded speech is played from a speaker directly in front of the participant and recorded multi-talker babble is played from multiple speakers around the participant. The participant uses a slider tool to choose if scene sounds acoustically wide (hearing all noise and speech), or acoustically narrow (hearing more of the speech than the noise). The range of the slider is 0-100, with 0 indicating the sound scene is "wide" and 100 indicating the sound scene is "narrow". The slider moves in 5 point increments. This is a purely subjective description and there is no better or worse outcome.
Subjective Preference DIR1, DIR2, and DIR3 in Controlled Loud Noise Environments
Time Frame: Third appointment (day 28 of study)
Using a sliding scale, the participant chooses their preference for listening to the sound scene, however this time, 0 indicates "not preferred" and 100 indicates "most preferred". The slider moves in 5 point increments.
Secondary Outcomes
- Speech Reception Threshold(2nd appointment (Day 14 of study))
- Subjective Ratings of Transition Speed From One Directional Microphone Setting to Another Directional Setting(Third appointment (day 28 of study))
- Observations and Ratings of Satisfaction of Microphone Directionality in Real Life(4 weeks)