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DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1735131
Increasing the Effectiveness of Hearing Aid Directional Microphones
Abstract
Directionality is the only hearing aid technology — in addition to amplification — proven to help hearing aid users hear better in noise. Hearing aid directionality has been documented to improve speech intelligibility in multiple laboratory studies. In contrast, real-world studies have shown a disconnect between the potential of the technology and what hearing aid users experience in their daily life. This article describes the real-world studies that inspired ReSound to take a different approach to applying directional microphone technology. This approach is based on the idea that hearing aid directionality can leverage natural binaural hearing and inherent listening strategies. The directional strategy includes three listening modes that will be explained. These are the Spatial Cue Preservation mode, the Binaural Listening mode, and the Speech Intelligibility mode. The strategy and the advantages it provides in terms of sound quality, spatial hearing, and improved signal-to-noise ratio with maintained awareness of surroundings are explained.
Keywords
directional microphones - binaural hearing - improved signal-to-noise ratio - situational awarenessPublikationsverlauf
Artikel online veröffentlicht:
24. September 2021
© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
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