Impact of frequency compression on music perception.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of frequency compression on music perception, and the impact of previous music training and hearing status. It was hypothesized that lesser amounts of compression would be preferred, and that this pattern of preference would be more evident in the musically trained groups.
DESIGN: A paired-comparison paradigm was used. Subjects listened to pairs of musical passages as processed by a hearing aid with different frequency-compression settings. Subjects indicated their preferred passage and the strength of their preference. STUDY SAMPLE: Fifty-seven subjects divided in four groups, according to hearing status (normal hearing, mild-to-moderate hearing loss), and previous music experience (trained, not trained).
RESULTS: Subjects generally preferred the conditions with the lesser amount of compression. Listeners in the group with previous music training showed stronger preference for less compression than those without training, as did listeners with normal hearing when compared to subjects with hearing loss.
CONCLUSIONS: Although less frequency compression was in general preferred, there was more variability in the comparisons involving the default settings for a 50-dB hearing loss (i.e. start frequency 4000 Hz, compression ratio 2.5:1) and no compression, suggesting that mild amounts of compression may not be detrimental to perceived sound quality.