Effect of Multichannel and Channels Free Hearing Aid Signal Processing on Phoneme Recognition in Quiet and Noise

Abstract

Introduction: Older adults with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) find it difficult to understand speech especially, in noise. Hearing aid is one among the rehabilitative option available to them. Even with advent in hearing aid technology, adequate benefit for hearing loss is a colossal challenge. It was hypothesized that channel free hearing aid improves the speech perception in presence of noise. Aim & Objective: To document consonant identification scores (CIS) and sequential transfer of information from multichannel and channel free hearing aids, in noise. Materials and Methods: Fourteen participants having bilateral sloping SNHL were included. Each participant was presented 21 syllables in unaided and aided conditions (4 channels, 12 channels, and channel free hearing aids) at quite, +10 dBSNR and 0dBSNR, to determine CIS and sequential transfer of information. Results: It was observed that signal-processing strategies did not significantly affect consonant identification at quiet condition. At +10 dBSNR and 0 dBSNR, significantly higher CIS was noted in channel free hearing aid than compared to other multichannel hearing aids. In addition, the total sequential transfer of information transmitted from channel free hearing aid was higher than compared to other strategies at quiet and +10 dB SNR. However, it was observed that 12 channels hearing aid was superiorly transferred the manner and voicing information than compared to other strategies. Conclusion: Channel free hearing aid is a feasible alternative to multichannel hearing aids for listeners with sloping audiometric contours.