scholarly journals Linking dynamic-range compression across the ears can improve speech intelligibility in spatially separated noise

2013 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 1004-1016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian M. Wiggins ◽  
Bernhard U. Seeber
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Dynamic Range Compression

Effect of Slow-Acting Wide Dynamic Range Compression on Measures of Intelligibility and Ratings of Speech Quality in Simulated-Loss Listeners

2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 702-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peninah S. Rosengard ◽  
Karen L. Payton ◽  
Louis D. Braida
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Speech Quality ◽  
Subjective Ratings ◽  
Subjective Measures ◽  
Wide Dynamic Range ◽  
Dynamic Range Compression ◽  
Amplitude Compression ◽  
Moderate Hearing Loss

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to determine the extent to which 4-channel, slow-acting wide dynamic range amplitude compression (WDRC) can counteract the perceptual effects of reduced auditory dynamic range and (b) to examine the relation between objective measures of speech intelligibility and categorical ratings of speech quality for sentences processed with slow-acting WDRC. Multiband expansion was used to simulate the effects of elevated thresholds and loudness recruitment in normal hearing listeners. While some previous studies have shown that WDRC can improve both speech intelligibility and quality, others have found no benefit. The current experiment shows that moderate amounts of compression can provide a small but significant improvement in speech intelligibility, relative to linear amplification, for simulated-loss listeners with small dynamic ranges (i.e., flat, moderate hearing loss). This benefit was found for speech at conversational levels, both in quiet and in a background of babble. Simulated-loss listeners with large dynamic ranges (i.e., sloping, mild-to-moderate hearing loss) did not show any improvement. Comparison of speech intelligibility scores and subjective ratings of intelligibility showed that listeners with simulated hearing loss could accurately judge the overall intelligibility of speech. However, in all listeners, ratings of pleasantness decreased as the compression ratio increased. These findings suggest that subjective measures of speech quality should be used in conjunction with either objective or subjective measures of speech intelligibility to ensure that participant-selected hearing aid parameters optimize both comfort and intelligibility.

scholarly journals Intelligibility and Clarity of Reverberant Speech: Effects of Wide Dynamic Range Compression Release Time and Working Memory

2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1543-1554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul N. Reinhart ◽  
Pamela E. Souza
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Release Time ◽  
Wide Dynamic Range ◽  
Dynamic Range Compression ◽  
Release Times ◽  
Memory Group ◽  
Reverberant Speech

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of varying wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) release time on intelligibility and clarity of reverberant speech. The study also considered the role of individual working memory. Method Thirty older listeners with mild to moderately-severe sloping sensorineural hearing loss participated. Individuals were divided into high and low working memory groups on the basis of the results of a reading span test. Participants listened binaurally to sentence stimuli simulated at a range of reverberation conditions and WDRC release times using a high compression ratio. Outcome measures included objective intelligibility and subjective clarity ratings. Results Speech intelligibility and clarity ratings both decreased as a function of reverberation. The low working memory group demonstrated a greater decrease in intelligibility with increasing amounts of reverberation than the high working memory group. Both groups, regardless of working memory, had higher speech intelligibility and clarity ratings with longer WDRC release times. WDRC release time had a larger effect on speech intelligibility under more reverberant conditions. Conclusions Reverberation significantly affects speech intelligibility, particularly for individuals with lower working memory. In addition, longer release times in hearing aids may improve listener speech intelligibility and clarity in reverberant environments.

scholarly journals Perceptual Evaluation of Signal-to-Noise-Ratio-Aware Dynamic Range Compression in Hearing Aids

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 233121652093053
Author(s):  
Borys Kowalewski ◽  
Torsten Dau ◽  
Tobias May
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Perceptual Evaluation ◽  
Dynamic Range Compression ◽  
Subjective Preference ◽  
Noise Ratio ◽  
Fast Acting

Dynamic range compression is a compensation strategy commonly used in modern hearing aids. Fast-acting systems respond relatively quickly to the fluctuations in the input level. This allows for more effective compression of the dynamic range of speech and hence enhanced the audibility of its low-intensity components. However, such processing also amplifies the background noise, distorts the modulation spectra of both the speech and the background, and can reduce the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Recently, May et al. proposed a novel SNR-aware compression strategy, in which the compression speed is adapted depending on whether speech is present or absent. Fast-acting compression is applied to speech-dominated time–frequency (T-F) units, while noise-dominated T-F units are processed using slow-acting compression. It has been shown that this strategy provides a similar effective compression of the speech dynamic range as conventional fast-acting compression, while introducing fewer distortions of the modulation spectrum of the background and providing an improved output SNR. In this study, this SNR-aware compression strategy was compared with conventional fast- and slow-acting compression in terms of speech intelligibility and subjective preference in a group of 17 hearing-impaired listeners with varying degree of hearing loss. The results show a speech intelligibility benefit of the SNR-aware compression strategy over the conventional slow-acting system. Furthermore, the SNR-aware approach demonstrates an increased subjective preference compared with both conventional fast- and slow-acting systems.

Acoustical and Perceptual Comparison of Noise Reduction and Compression in Hearing Aids

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 1363-1376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge Brons ◽  
Rolph Houben ◽  
Wouter A. Dreschler
Keyword(s):  
Noise Reduction ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Dynamic Range Compression ◽  
Perceptual Comparison ◽  
Babble Noise ◽  
Processing Differences

Purpose Noise reduction and dynamic-range compression are generally applied together in hearing aids but may have opposite effects on amplification. This study evaluated the acoustical and perceptual effects of separate and combined processing of noise reduction and compression. Design Recordings of the output of 4 hearing aids for speech in babble noise at +4 dB signal-to-noise ratio were used in 3 experiments: (a) acoustical measurements to determine the influence of processing on speech and noise levels; (b) perceptual measurements to determine the detectability of processing differences for 16 listeners with hearing impairment; and (c) perceptual measurements to determine the effect of processing on speech intelligibility, noise annoyance, speech naturalness, and overall preference. Results Noise reduction and compression processing differed between hearing aids. The combined processing (noise reduction with compression) most strongly reduced noise and speech levels. The combined processing was detectably different between hearing aids, but compression processing alone was not. The combined processing did not influence speech intelligibility. Preference for combined processing was lower than previously observed for noise reduction without compression. Conclusions Differences in processing between hearing aids are perceptually salient. The effect of compression should be taken into account during the development and evaluation of hearing aid noise reduction.

scholarly journals The effect of hearing aid dynamic range compression on speech intelligibility in a realistic virtual sound environment

2022 ◽  
Vol 151 (1) ◽  
pp. 232-241
Author(s):  
Naim Mansour ◽  
Marton Marschall ◽  
Adam Westermann ◽  
Tobias May ◽  
Torsten Dau
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Dynamic Range Compression ◽  
Sound Environment

Characterizing Speech Intelligibility in Noise After Wide Dynamic Range Compression

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koenraad S. Rhebergen ◽  
Thijs H. Maalderink ◽  
Wouter A. Dreschler
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Wide Dynamic Range ◽  
Dynamic Range Compression
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