Improved speech understanding and amplitude modulation sensitivity in rooms: Wait a second!
Pavel Zahorik, Paul W. Anderson, Eugene J. Brandewie, Nirmal Kumar Srinivasan · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2014
Sound transmission between source and receiver can be profoundly affected by room acoustics, yet under many circumstances, these acoustical effects have relatively minor perceptual consequences. This may be explained, in part, by listener adaptation to the acoustics of the listening environment. Here, evidence that room adaptation improves speech understanding is summarized. The adaptation is rapid (around 1 s), and observable for a variety of speech materials. It also appears to depend critically on the amplitude modulation characteristic of the signal reaching the ear, and as a result, similar room adaptation effects have been observed for measurements of amplitude modulation sensitivity. A better understanding of room adaptation effects will hopefully contribute to improved methods for speech transmission in rooms for both normally hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. [Work supported by NIDCD.]