Selecting different amplification for different listening conditions.

Ten subjects with diverse hearing impairment trialled a multiple-memory hearing aid in everyday life and in a paired-comparison laboratory test. Five subjects evaluated systematic variations of the compression characteristic in two bands, around an individually fitted response, using the Resound PHS-ED instrument. Another five subjects evaluated systematic variations of the frequency response characteristic, around an individually fitted NAL response, using the Widex Quattro B hearing device. In all, five subjects showed benefit from multiple amplification schemes. Both variations in compression and frequency response characteristics were used for different background noises and/or response criteria. There were some similarities across subjects in the choice of amplification schemes in the paired-comparison test. However, data were not sufficient to derive a relationship between preferred amplification schemes and listening conditions. For a number of audiometric and disability-related parameters, no differences were found between those who selected multiple amplification schemes and those who did not.