Month: June 2002

Children’s Performance: Analog vs Digital Adaptive Dual-Microphone Instruments

Children with hearing impairments have greater difficulty understanding speech in background noise than do adults and children with normal hearing. Additionally, it is generally recognized that the use of a well-established prescriptive fitting procedure—such as DSP[i/o] or NAL-NL1—is an essential step in fitting children. This article examines children’s performance with analog hearing aids compared to digital, dual-microphone aids that are set to a prescriptive target.

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Complaints About Hearing in Noise: A New Answer

Much has been written about the benefits of directional microphone hearing instruments and how to fit these devices. However, directional instruments are still underutilized. This article details some of the reasons for this, and describes a new type of directional device: an array microphone that uses a spatial distribution of three microphones to achieve its directivity. Candidacy and operational issues are addressed, and two field studies are used.

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The HR 2002 Dispenser Survey

The Hearing Review’s annual report on trends at the hearing instrument practice/business level, including statistics and analysis on pricing, number of instruments sold, client demographics and motivating behaviors, selection and fitting practices, trends in the use of hearing instrument technology, office management strategies, compensation, test equipment use, and what is projected for the remainder of 2002 and beyond. One of the most popular features of the year, the HR Dispenser Survey is used as a barometer and yardstick by hearing care professionals throughout the year.

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