Marshall Chasin, AuD, is an audiologist and the Director of Auditory Research at the Musicians’ Clinics of Canada, Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto (in Linguistics), Associate Professor in the School of Communication Disorders and Sciences at the Western University. He is the author of over 200 articles and 7 books including Musicians and the Prevention of Hearing Loss. Dr. Chasin has been the recipient of many awards over the years including the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Award for service to Canada and the Canada 150 Medal in 2017. He has developed a new TTS app called Temporary Hearing Loss Test app.
Nov. 15, 2016

The Hearing Aids for Music Project

Marshall Chasin
The Hearing Aids for Music Project is a new project from Leeds University in England. Traditionally, the two phrases “hearing aids” and “great sounding music” do not belong in the same sentence.  There are a number of reasons for this and include issues relating to frequency bandwidth, compression, front end analog to digital features, and how “advanced features” interact with music.
Nov. 15, 2016

Conseils brûlants sur les appareils auditifs pour les mois chauds part 1

Marshall Chasin
• Le nettoyage et la verification quotidiens sont indispensables. • Utiliser un ensemble absorbeur d’humidité pour favoriser la protection contre les problems d’humidité. • Pour aider au contrôle des problèmes d’humidité liés à la transpiration, retirez vos appareils au milieu de la journée et essuyez-les, ainsi que la pile, avec un chiffon sec. Épongez l’humidité derrière et/ou dans l’oreille. •
Featured image for “A standard for music such as ANSI S3.22?”
Nov. 08, 2016

A standard for music such as ANSI S3.22?

Marshall Chasin
For all of the criticisms of ANSI S3.22, this is a great standard… how’s that for an opening statement? ANSI S3.22 is how hearing aids are assessed in the clinic as well as at the manufacturer’s facility.  It is a quality control measure and known as a “reporting standard”.  That is ANSI S3.22 tells us precisely how to measure a
Featured image for “Electronic Hearing Protection for Musicians (and Hunters)”
Nov. 01, 2016

Electronic Hearing Protection for Musicians (and Hunters)

Marshall Chasin
From time to time I fit electronic hearing protection for musicians or hunters. The idea is that electronic hearing protection would provide slight amplification for soft level sounds but hearing protection (sound attenuation) for overly loud sounds. These devices are really just hearing aids in disguise  – they are typically, but not always, digital, have a microphone(s), an amplifier, and a
Oct. 25, 2016

My rant about the iPhone 7

Marshall Chasin
I only recently switched from my old Blackberry which I have been using since the 1970s.  It is true that the Blackberry was slow, was almost impossible to use apps, but had some neat elevated buttons. My new phone (for about a year now) is the iPhone 6.  It has great apps and its usability is infinitely better than my
Oct. 18, 2016

Parlez plus fort, Doc, je suis malentendante- part 2

Marshall Chasin
Par Gael Hannan C’est une vraie pièce, avec une porte. Mon ORL précédent préconisait le concept de bureau ouvert, un cauchemar pour les patients malentendants.  Soudainement, le médecin surgit dans la pièce, en blouse blanche et un médecin interne s’agitant derrière lui. Le médecin s’installe sur le tabouret devant moi et me fixe dans les yeux. Bonnes techniques de communication,
Oct. 18, 2016

The 5.1 sound system – part 3

Marshall Chasin
My home stereo system has 6 speakers – I counted them!  Yet, this set up is called a 5.1 sound system.  What’s going on? My first thought was that the guy who installed it couldn’t count.  My next thought was that the manufacturer really wanted to call it 6.1 or at least 6.0, but certainly not something that sounded less
Oct. 11, 2016

Bass reflex loud speakers- part 2

Marshall Chasin
Bass reflex loud speakers design have an uncertain past.  Most authorities would agree that the bass reflex loudspeaker was conceived of in the late 1940s, but there is some data from old audiology textbooks that this idea was used in hearing aids long before it appeared in loudspeaker design. The bass reflex loudspeaker has a simple design; it is a
Oct. 04, 2016

The Acoustic Suspension Loudspeaker – Part 1

Marshall Chasin
Ed Villchur had many credits to his name.  He actually lived in Woodstock, New York, and for years after the famed concert, had people stopping by his house asking for directions to the Yasgar farm (which wasn’t in Woodstock). When I met Ed, he indeed had long hair much like those who attended the Woodstock concert 15 years earlier.  (I’d had
Sep. 27, 2016

Caffeine and Noise Exposure

Marshall Chasin
I love my morning coffee. And my afternoon coffee. Also, my evening coffee.  I am not sure how much I drink every day because I usually buy a cup of coffee, take several sips, and then get busy. I may come back to a half full cup of cold coffee several hours later, or not. Although I am not a