Wayne's World

Which is it? Take your pick? This is a question that has been asked of me many times over the years. Is the component that converts the hearing aid amplified signal back to an acoustic signal properly called a receiver, speaker, loudspeaker, output transducer, driver, or even other names (Figure 1)? Or, can each of these terms be used interchangeably?

Many in the discipline of hearing are familiar with his name, associated with the discipline of otometry in working with hearing impairment. What few know is “the rest of the story.” John Austin Victoreen, LL.D., (1902-1986) known to his friends as Jack, was a self-taught physicist, engineer, and inventor, especially active in applied physics. He authored two books and numerous

Additional Historical Information Related to Fitting Hearing Aids Using Otometry Test Equipment Otometry was based on sound pressure measurements and a damped wavetrain signal (DWT).  Because of this, instruments had to be devised to make these measurements.  An instrument was required to generate and deliver the damped wavetrain signals at the sound pressures required for different frequencies. For other measurements, a

Illustrative Procedure (A simple scientific substitution method is employed) Introduction When discussing topics that readers are somewhat unfamiliar with, it is helpful to provide a step-by-step description and explanation to assist in understanding the procedure. This is certainly desirable in regards to otometry. However, such a “walk-through” procedure is not found in either of Victoreen’s books on otometry or his

Basic Principles for Hearing Aid Prosthetic Purposes Otometric principles, for hearing aid prosthetic purposes, deal primarily with the physics and acoustics of the hearing mechanism, requirements to identify otometry as a scientific approach to hearing aid selection. Last week’s post reviewed the differences between audiometry and otometry, setting the stage for this week’s further differentiation. 1. Prosthetic requirements are concerned with sound

The Origin of Scientific Prescriptive Fitting In the late 1950s, while audiologists were recommending hearing aids to be sold by and fitted by hearing aid “dealers,” a fitting approach was introduced that was based on science rather than on historical practice, supposition, and trial and error. It was called otometry. Otometry, the “prescription of hearing aid instruments,” was developed by

Hearing light – Demonstrations of auditory sensitivity, Part II This is a continuation of “Can You Hear Light?” from last week’s post by Dr. Manfred Euler, Leibniz-Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN), Kiel. Signal amplification via resonance The amplification process is based on the resonance of the air-filled cavity equipped with an opening to emit sound. Such a device

Hearing light – Demonstrations of Auditory Sensitivity, Part I Hearing Health and Technology Matters is pleased to have Dr. Manfred Euler, of the Leibniz-Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN), Kiel, provide the answer to the question, “Can you hear light?”  Not only does he answer the question, but he provides simple techniques and kitchen tools to demonstrate this in

How Room Acoustics Affects Hearing Aid Performance   A room’s acoustics are often blamed for poor intelligibility, especially for persons wearing hearing aids. But, what does this inanimate enclosure do to warrant this scorn? To answer this, it is helpful to know what the room does with the sounds produced in the room in terms of general expectations. We need to

Speech Perception to Speech Recognition Hearing but not understanding is the general theme of this post.  Acoustic characteristics of speech that lead to “hearing” have been the subject of the last two posts. However, being able to “hear” does not necessarily translate to “understanding.” This post will conclude the acoustic characteristics of speech by discussing briefly suprathreshold loudness discrimination, and