The strength of pitch encoding under noise reduction was linked to how accurately people recognized words in noise. This suggests that measuring NR effects on subcortical speech encoding is doable, and could offer a novel way to predict who will benefit from NR in hearing aids.
The Formula for Better Hearing in Noisy Places
In audiology, we describe listening environments using the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The signal is what you want to hear—like your conversation partner—and noise is everything you don’t want to hear.
Balancing Noise Reduction With Speech Perception in Hearing Aids
Our research aims to better understand the underlying biological mechanisms of such variability and pave the way for a more personalized and effective hearing aid technology, offering hope for those struggling in noisy listening environments.