Wayne Staab

Dr. Staab is an internationally recognized authority in hearing aids. As President of Dr. Wayne J. Staab and Associates, he is engaged in consulting, research, development, manufacturing, education, and marketing projects related to hearing. His professional career has included University teaching, hearing clinic work, hearing aid company management and sales, and extensive work with engineering in developing and bringing new technology and products to the discipline of hearing. This varied background allows him to couple manufacturing and business with the science of acoustics to bring innovative developments and insights to our discipline. Dr. Staab has authored numerous books, chapters, and articles related to hearing aids and their fitting, and is an internationally-requested presenter. He is a past President and past Executive Director of the American Auditory Society and a retired Fellow of the International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiology. Interests engaged in outside of the above include: fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, golf, travel, tennis, softball, lecturing, sporting clays, 4-wheeling, archery, swimming, guitar, computers, and photography. These are great topics of discussion away from business.

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Preferred Hearing Aid?

What Would be a Preferred Hearing Aid Performance? Would a consumer select the same hearing aid performance as was recommended by an audiologist if given a choice among different signal processing schemes? The topic of a preferred hearing aid has been the topic of this series of posts over the last three weeks. Results show that there is not

Hearing Aid Selection: Consumer vs. Dispenser

Hearing Aid Selection: Consumer vs Hearing Aid Dispenser This post is a continuation of articles on this site the last two weeks related to hearing aid selection. It is directed at answering the question: would a consumer select the same hearing aid signal processing algorithm as was recommended by an audiologist? A signal processing algorithm refers to a completely different type of

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Consumer Preferred Hearing Aid Signal Processing Scheme

Consumer Preferred Hearing Aid Signal Processing Scheme vs. Audiologists’ Recommendations Last week’s post wondered about how satisfactory a hearing aid fitting was for consumers when they leave the dispenser’s office. Was it the optimum fitting, or would some other hearing aid signal processing scheme (also herein referred to as algorithms) have been more acceptable? Would there be any differences in

Is Your Hearing Aid Setting What You Would Choose?

Or, Would You Select a Different Hearing Aid Setting if the Choice Was Yours? How satisfactory is the hearing aid setting for consumers when they leave the dispenser’s office? Is it the optimum fitting, or would some other setting have been more acceptable? Would there be any differences in the final selection if the consumer were allowed to select the

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Hearing Loss Job Hunting Tips

by Jeremy K. Jones, M.A., Sivantos, Inc. Looking for a new job can be a stressful experience for anyone. But when you also have hearing loss, the task at hand may seem even more challenging. Although it is premature to say that the stigma attached to hearing loss is no longer an issue in the workplace, succeeding in Corporate America

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Starkey Upheaval – Could This Lead to a Potential Sale?

Editor’s Note: Today’s post comes from HHTM’s Editor-In-Chief, Wayne Staab, Ph.D., providing our readers with an interesting analysis of just who might be interested in Starkey Hearing Technologies in the event that the company becomes available for sale. With the recent upheaval at Starkey Hearing Technologies, speculation has arisen about the climate for a potential sale. The reason for the speculation lies with the

HyperSound

HyperSound Preface: New entries into the hearing rehabilitation discipline occur on a regular basis. Many are improvements to existing applications/systems, and those who are hearing impaired and/or work with them are grateful for improvements. Occasionally, something “different” is introduced, and when from outside the “customary” channels, it exposes the discipline of hearing to alternate marketing opportunities. Such is the

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Ancient Hominin Ears

Early Hominin and the Auditory System Studying the sensory mechanism fossil remains of past hominin (members of the family of humans as described herein) life forms has offered some interesting insights into ancient ears, based on their anatomical structures. This is especially true for the sense of hearing. How this occurs relates to the physical properties of the fossil physical

Ear Device Comfort

Deep Fitting Ear Canal Device Physical Comfort A plethora of products are worn in the ear canal – some more deeply than others. Regardless, not all devices that fit into the ear canal are comfortable. Physical comfort depends on at least the following factors: Ear canal sensitivity Size, as in volume, of the device being inserted relative to the

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Ear Canal Dimensions of Asian Females

Why Ear Canal Dimensions of Asian Females? Ear canal dimensions (measurement and shape) are important when designing many devices for the ears. This is true regardless of whether the device is custom made, or if it is an off-the-shelf product designed to fit multiple ear canals. For custom products, the dimensions are helpful in designing internal component placement. For off-the-shelf