Background: Preference for speech and music processed with nonlinear frequency compression (NFC)
and two controls (restricted bandwidth [RBW] and extended bandwidth [EBW] hearing
aid processing) was examined in adults and children with hearing loss.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if stimulus type (music, sentences), age
(children, adults), and degree of hearing loss influence listener preference for NFC,
RBW, and EBW.
Research Design: Design was a within-participant, quasi-experimental study. Using a round-robin procedure,
participants listened to amplified stimuli that were (1) frequency lowered using NFC,
(2) low-pass filtered at 5 kHz to simulate the RBW of conventional hearing aid processing,
or (3) low-pass filtered at 11 kHz to simulate EBW amplification. The examiner and
participants were blinded to the type of processing. Using a two-alternative forced-choice
task, participants selected the preferred music or sentence passage.
Study Sample: Participants included 16 children (ages 8–16 yr) and 16 adults (ages 19–65 yr) with
mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss.
Intervention: All participants listened to speech and music processed using a hearing aid simulator
fit to the Desired Sensation Level algorithm v5.0a.
Results: Children and adults did not differ in their preferences. For speech, participants
preferred EBW to both NFC and RBW. Participants also preferred NFC to RBW. Preference
was not related to the degree of hearing loss. For music, listeners did not show a
preference. However, participants with greater hearing loss preferred NFC to RBW more
than participants with less hearing loss. Conversely, participants with greater hearing
loss were less likely to prefer EBW to RBW.
Conclusions: Both age groups preferred access to high-frequency sounds, as demonstrated by their
preference for either the EBW or NFC conditions over the RBW condition. Preference
for EBW can be limited for those with greater degrees of hearing loss, but participants
with greater hearing loss may be more likely to prefer NFC. Further investigation
using participants with more severe hearing loss may be warranted.
Key Words Auditory rehabilitation - hearing aids and assistive listening devices - pediatric
audiology
