Noise reduction in modern hearing aids – long-term average gain measurements using speech
Karolina Smeds, Niklas Bergman, Sofia Hertzman, Torbjörn Nyman · Proceedings of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research · 2009
The current study aims at showing how noise reduction algorithms of contemporary hearing aids function for real speech in noise. Twelve modern hearing aids were used. Coupler gain measurements were performed in an acoustic test chamber using a real speech signal in stationary speech-weighted noise. Recordings of the input to and output from the hearing aids, with the noise reduction switched on and off, were used to calculate long-term average gain reduction due to the noise reduction. The results, presented as contour plots, show large differences among the various noise reduction algorithms. The hearing aid manufacturers have obviously chosen to design their noise reduction algorithms based on completely different principles.