Compact System for Sound Field Testing of Hearing Performance

Hearing loss is the third most common chronic physical condition in the U.S.more prevalent than diabetes or cancer. Globally, in 2015, about one half billion people had disabling hearing loss, or roughly 6 to 8% of the world population. Occupational hearing loss is one of the most common work-related illnesses and the most common service-related disability among veterans. As a result, more individuals may need to communicate in noisy environments while wearing either hearing protection or hearing prostheses. Unfortunately, there is limited data regarding the impact of these devices on the performance of hearing-critical tasks while on the job. Creare proposes to develop a compact sound system to enable standardized hearing performance evaluation in clinical audio booths. A customized electronic system controls the eight-speaker array to ensure a calibrated sound field can be reproduced accurately and consistently across sound booths of varying sizes and acoustic response. The electronics are designed to control multiple channels independently and the system can self-calibrate in situ. The system provides sufficient flexibility for both research and clinical protocols, while remaining easy to use and deploy.