Perceived sound quality of hearing aids.

Four experiments dealing with perceived sound quality of hearing aids are described. The purposes were (a) to find a limited number of perceptual dimensions suitable for describing variations in perceived sound quality, (b) to find the positions of the selected hearing aids in these dimensions, (c) to explore the relations between the perceptual dimensions and the physical characteristics of the hearing aids, and (d) to explore the relations between the perceptual dimensions and overall evaluations of the selected hearing aids. Using various multivariate techniques for dimension analysis, the resulting dimensions were interpreted as 'Sharpness/Hardness - Softness', 'Clearance/Distinctness', 'Brightness - Darkness', 'Fullness', 'Feeling of space', 'Nearness', 'Loudness', and 'Disturbing sounds'. Their relations to characteristics of the hearing aids were explored as well as their relations to overall evaluations. The implications for continued research and audiological applications are discussed.