Lab News

Beam me (in)

Hearing aid beamformers are intended to emphasize the talker’s voice and reduce surrounding noise. But are beamformers right for everyone? In new data presented at the 2022 International Hearing Aid Conference, we examined the benefit of a beamformer in which the optimal polar plot was selected by analysis of signal inputs across both ears (sometimes called “ear to ear” directionality).

The “grandparent study”

Older adults with hearing loss often report they have difficulty understanding their young grandchildren, even when wearing hearing aids that improve audibility. We collaborated with Dr. Marisha Speights Atkins to examine perception of child talkers by older adults, using child speech from the Speech Exemplars and Evaluation Database (SEED).