Signal processing in hearing aids: results of the HEARCOM project

Jan Wouters, Heleen Luts, Koen Eneman, Ann Spriet, Marc Moonen, Michael Büchler, Norbert Dillier, Wouter A. Dreschler, Matthias Froehlich, Giso Grimm, Volker Hohmann, Rolph Houben, Arne Leijon, Anthony Lombard, Dirk Mauler, Henning Puder, Michael Schulte, M. Vormann

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Digital hearing aids of today allow the application of advanced signal processing strategies. In recent years a number of promising signal processing approaches have been designed and developed. However, most of these different evolutions have been evaluated only in a limited way. Within the framework of the HEARCOM EU-research project a number of signal enhancement techniques have been further developed and evaluated based on a representative set of real-life recordings and physical performance measures. Different auditory profiles, representing common categories of hearing aid users, have been taken into account. A selection of 5 of these signal enhancement techniques (single-channel noise suppression, blind source separation, dereverberation, multi-microphone adaptive processing, feedback reduction) has been implemented on a single common hard- and software test platform, the Master Hearing Aid (MHA). These signal processing strategies have been evaluated perceptually based on speech reception thresholds, listening effort and preference rating, at 5 different test-sites for a number of speech-and-noise listening scenarios. Fifty normal hearing subjects and 100 hearing aid users according to 2 auditory profiles, took part in this study
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3166
JournalJournal of the Acoustical Society of America
Volume123
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - 2008

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