Frequency lowering
Abstract
Background and Aim: It has been several decades since the technology of frequency lowering (FL) has been proposed. However, primary research has revealed no benefits regarding the use of this technique. Currently, new methods for FL and improvement of perception of speech and fricative sounds have led to the application of these methods by numerous companies to produce hearing aids. In this study, through reviewing the findings of recent studies we introduced several FL techniques used in various companies.
Recent Findings: Results of studies conducted since the year 2000 on FL technology suggested that this technology could be used to improve speech perception in cases of high frequency hearing loss. Today, the majority of hearing aid manufacturers use different FL methods.
Conclusion: While the setting principles of FL methods are still vague, improved hearing of fricative sounds has been associated with increased use of this technique by researchers. FL technique has its own benefits and setbacks, understanding of which would facilitate the use of FL techniques and adjustment of hearing aids for hearing-impaired individuals.
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2. Flynn MC, Dowell RC, Clark GM. Aided speech recognition abilities of adults with a severe or severe-to-profound hearing loss. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 1998;41(2):285-99.
3. Elfenbein JL, Hardin-Jones MA, Davis JM. Oral communication skills of children who are hard of hearing. J Speech Hear Res. 1994;37(1):216-26.
4. Turner CW, Cummings KJ. Speech audibility for listeners with high-frequency hearing loss. Am J Audiol. 1999;8(1):47-56.
5. Hogan CA, Turner CW. High-frequency audibility: benefits for hearing-impaired listeners. J Acoust Soc Am. 1998;104(1):432-41.
6. Yoshinaga-Itano C, Sedey AL, Coulter DK, Mehl AL. Language of early- and later-identified children with hearing loss. Pediatrics. 1998;102(5):1161-71.
7. Ching TY, Dillon H, Byrne D. Speech recognition of hearing-impaired listeners: predictions from audibility and the limited role of high-frequency amplification. J Acoust Soc Am. 1998;103(2):1128-40.
8. Chasin M, Russo FA. hearing aids and music. Trends Amplif. 2004;8(2):35-47.
9. Hockley NS, Bahlmann F, Chasin M. Programming hea¬ring instruments to make live music more enjoyable. Hear J.2010;63(9):30-8.
10. Stelmachowicz PG, Pittman AL, Hoover BM, Lewis DE. Aided perception of /s/ and /z/ by hearing-impaired children. Ear Hear. 2002;23(4):316-24.
11. Kortekaas RW, Stelmachowicz PG. Bandwidth effects on children's perception of the inflectional morpheme /s/: acoustical measurements, auditory detection, and clarity rating. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2000;43(3):645-60.
12. Stelmachowicz PG, Pittman AL, Hoover BM, Lewis DE, Moeller MP. The importance of high-frequency audibility in the speech and language development of children with hearing loss. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;130(5):556-62.
13. Moeller MP, Hoover B, Putman C, Arbataitis K, Bohnenkamp G, Peterson B, et al. Vocalizations of infants with hearing loss compared with infants with normal hearing: Part I--phonetic development. Ear Hear. 2007;28(5):605-27.
14. Moore BC, Huss M, Vickers DA, Glasberg BR, Alcántara JI. A test for the diagnosis of dead regions in the cochlea. Br J Audiol. 2000;34(4):205-24.
15. Moore BC. Dead regions in the cochlea: conceptual foundations, diagnosis, and clinical applications. Ear Hear. 2004;25(2):98-116.
16. Cox RM, Alexander GC, Johnson J, Rivera I. Cochlear dead regions in typical hearing aid candidates: prevalence and implications for use of high-frequency speech cues. Ear Hear. 2011;32(3):339-48.
17. Stelmachowicz PG, Pittman AL, Hoover BM, Lewis DE. Effect of stimulus bandwidth on the perception of /s/ in normal- and hearing-impaired children and adults. J Acoust Soc Am. 2001;110(4):2183-90.
18. Stelmachowicz PG, Lewis DE, Choi S, Hoover B. Effect of stimulus bandwidth on auditory skills in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children. Ear Hear. 2007;28(4):483-94.
19. Ricketts TA, Dittberner AB, Johnson EE. High-frequency amplification and sound quality in listeners with normal through moderate hearing loss. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2008;51(1):160-72.
20. Simpson A. Frequency-lowering devices for managing high-frequency hearing loss: a review. Trends Amplif. 2009;13(2):87-106.
21. McDermott HJ, Knight MR. Preliminary results with the AVR impact frequency-transposing hearing aid. J Am Acad Audiol. 2001;12(3):121-7.
22. McDermott HJ, Dorkos VP, Dean MR, Ching TY. Improvements in speech perception with use of the AVR TranSonic frequency-transposing hearing aid. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 1999;42(6):1323-35.
23. Robinson JD, Baer T, Moore BC. Using transposition to improve consonant discrimination and detection for listeners with severe high-frequency hearing loss. Int J Audiol. 2007;46(6):293-308.
24. Kuk F, Korhonen P, Peeters H, Keenan D, Jessen A, Andersen H. Linear frequency transposition: extending the audibility of high frequency information. Hearing Review. 2006;13:42-8.
25. The audibility extender. 2010. Available in: https://www.widex.pro/en/evidence-technology/technological-excellence/widex-speech-technologies/audibility-extender
26. The Prescription of Spectral iQ. 2015. Available in: https://starkeypro.com/pdfs/technical-papers/the_prescription_of_spectral_iq.pdf
27. Glista D, McDermott H. Phonak SoundRecover: A breakthrough in enhancing intelligibility. Naida Product Information. Stafa, Switzerland: Phonak Hearing Systems; 2008.
28. SoundRecover2 – the adaptive frequency compression algorithm. 2016. Available in: https://www.phonakpro.com/content/dam/phonakpro/gc_hq/en/resources/evidence/white_paper/documents/insight_soundrecover2_028-1512.pdf
29. Stender T, Haastrup A. Frequency compression through Beltone SoundShifter. 2016. Available in: http://www.belsound.hu/beltone/_/media/DownloadLibrary/Beltone/Beltone%20Product%20Page%20Downloads/M200993GB1309RevAP2A2125.pdf?la=en
30. Sound Shaper frequency compression. Available in: http://www.gnresound.ru/en/professionals/technology-and-innovation/surround-sound-by-resound/sound-shaper
31. Angelo k, Alexande JM. Oticon Frequency Lowering Access to high-frequency speech sounds with Speech Rescue technology. 2016. Available in: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~alexan14/Publications_files/SpeechRescue.pdf
32. McDermott HJ, Dean MR. Speech perception with steeply sloping hearing loss: effects of frequency transposition. Br J Audiol. 2000;34(6):353-61.
33. Sakamoto S, Goto K, Tateno M, Kaga K. Frequency compression hearing aid for severe-to-profound hearing impairments. Auris Nasus Larynx. 2000;27(4):327-34.
34. Simpson A, Hersbach AA, McDermott HJ. Improvements in speech perception with an experimental nonlinear frequency compression hearing device. Int J Audiol. 2005;44(5):281-92.
35. Simpson A, Hersbach AA, McDermott HJ. Frequency-compression outcomes in listeners with steeply sloping audiograms. Int J Audiol. 2006;45(11):619-29.
36. Kuk F, Peeters H, Keenan D, Lau C. Use of frequency transposition in a thin-tube open-ear fitting. Hear J. 2007;60(4):59-63.
37. Nyffeler M. Study finds that non-linear frequency compression boosts speech intelligibility. Hear J. 2008;61(12):22-6.
38. Glista D, Scollie S, Bagatto M, Seewald R, Parsa V, Johnson A. Evaluation of nonlinear frequency compression: clinical outcomes. Int J Audiol. 2009;48(9):632-44.
39. Smith J, Dann M, Brown PM. An evaluation of frequency transposition for hearing-impaired school-age children. Deafness Educ Int. 2009;11(2):62-82.
40. Wolfe J, Caraway T, John A, Schafer E, Nyffeler M. Initial experiences with nonlinear frequency compression for children with mild to moderately severe hearing loss. Hear J 2009;62(9):32-5.
41. Glista D, Scollie S, Polonenko M, Sulkers J. A comparison of performance in children with nonlinear frequency compression systems. Hearing Review. 2009;16(12):20-4.
42. Auriemmo J, Kuk F, Lau C, Marshall S, Thiele N, Pikora M, et al. Effect of linear frequency transposition on speech recognition and production of school-age children. J Am Acad Audiol. 2009;20(5):289-305.
43. Kuk F, Keenan D, Korhonen P, Lau CC. Efficacy of linear frequency transposition on consonant identification in quiet and in noise. J Am Acad Audiol. 2009;20(8):465-79.
44. Wolfe J, John A, Schafer E, Nyffeler M, Boretzki M, Caraway T. Evaluation of nonlinear frequency compression for school-age children with moderate to moderately severe hearing loss. J Am Acad Audiol. 2010;21(10):618-28.
45. Bohnert A, Nyffeler M, Keilmann A. Advantages of a non-linear frequency compression algorithm in noise. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2010;267(7):1045-53.
46. J Gou, J Smith, J Valero, I Rubio .The effect of frequency transposition on speech perception in adolescents and young adults with profound hearing loss. Deafness Educ Int. 2011;13(1):17-33.
47. Uys M, Pottas L, Vinck B, van Dijk C. The influence of non-linear frequency compression on the perception of music by adults with a moderate to severe hearing loss: subjective impressions. S Afr J Commun Disord. 2012;59(1):53-67.
48. El Danasourya IMS, Hazzaaa NMA, Saberb AE, Elkabarity RH. Efficacy of frequency transposition on speech perception and production in hearing impaired Arabic-speaking children. Egyptian Society of Ear Nose Throat and Allied Sciences. 2013;14(2):129-35.
49. Alexander JM. Nonlinear frequency compression: Influence of start frequency and input bandwidth on consonant and vowel recognition. J Acoust Soc Am. 2016;139(2):938-57.
50. Bentler R, Walker E, McCreery R, Arenas RM, Roush P. Nonlinear frequency compression in hearing aids: impact on speech and language development. Ear Hear. 2014;35(4):e143-52.
51. Uys M, Latzel M. Long-term effects of non-linear frequency compression on performance of music and speech perception. Commun Disord Deaf Stud Hearing Aids. 2015;3(3):139.
52. Hillock-Dunn A, Buss E, Duncan N, Roush PA, Leibold LJ. Effects of nonlinear frequency compression on speech identification in children with hearing loss. Ear Hear. 2014;35(3):353-65.
53. Rehmann J, Jha S, Baumann SA. SoundRecover2 – the adaptive frequency compression algorithm More audibility of high frequency.sounds. 2016. Available from:https://www.phonakpro.com/content/dam/phonakpro/gc_hq/en/resources/evidence/white_paper/documents/insight_soundrecover2_028-1512.pdf
54. Alnahwi M, AlQudehy ZA. Comparison between frequency transposition and frequency compression hearing aids. Egypt J Otolaryngol. 2015;31:10-8.
55. Souza PE, Arehart KH, Kates JM, Croghan NB, Gehani N. Exploring the limits of frequency lowering. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2013;56(5):1349-63.
56. Scollie S, Glista D, Seto J, Dunn A, Schuett B, Hawkins M, et al. Fitting frequency-lowering signal processing applying the American academy of audiology pediatric amplification guideline: updates and protocols. J Am Acad Audiol. 2016;27(3):219-36.
57. Lau CC, Kuk F, Keenan D, Schumacher J. Amp¬lification for listeners with a moderately severe high-frequency hearing loss. J Am Acad Audiol. 2014;25(6):562-75.
58. Peltier E, Peltier C, Tahar S, Alliot-Lugaz E, Cazals Y. Long-term tinnitus suppression with linear octave frequency transposition hearing aids. PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e519.
2. Flynn MC, Dowell RC, Clark GM. Aided speech recognition abilities of adults with a severe or severe-to-profound hearing loss. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 1998;41(2):285-99.
3. Elfenbein JL, Hardin-Jones MA, Davis JM. Oral communication skills of children who are hard of hearing. J Speech Hear Res. 1994;37(1):216-26.
4. Turner CW, Cummings KJ. Speech audibility for listeners with high-frequency hearing loss. Am J Audiol. 1999;8(1):47-56.
5. Hogan CA, Turner CW. High-frequency audibility: benefits for hearing-impaired listeners. J Acoust Soc Am. 1998;104(1):432-41.
6. Yoshinaga-Itano C, Sedey AL, Coulter DK, Mehl AL. Language of early- and later-identified children with hearing loss. Pediatrics. 1998;102(5):1161-71.
7. Ching TY, Dillon H, Byrne D. Speech recognition of hearing-impaired listeners: predictions from audibility and the limited role of high-frequency amplification. J Acoust Soc Am. 1998;103(2):1128-40.
8. Chasin M, Russo FA. hearing aids and music. Trends Amplif. 2004;8(2):35-47.
9. Hockley NS, Bahlmann F, Chasin M. Programming hea¬ring instruments to make live music more enjoyable. Hear J.2010;63(9):30-8.
10. Stelmachowicz PG, Pittman AL, Hoover BM, Lewis DE. Aided perception of /s/ and /z/ by hearing-impaired children. Ear Hear. 2002;23(4):316-24.
11. Kortekaas RW, Stelmachowicz PG. Bandwidth effects on children's perception of the inflectional morpheme /s/: acoustical measurements, auditory detection, and clarity rating. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2000;43(3):645-60.
12. Stelmachowicz PG, Pittman AL, Hoover BM, Lewis DE, Moeller MP. The importance of high-frequency audibility in the speech and language development of children with hearing loss. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;130(5):556-62.
13. Moeller MP, Hoover B, Putman C, Arbataitis K, Bohnenkamp G, Peterson B, et al. Vocalizations of infants with hearing loss compared with infants with normal hearing: Part I--phonetic development. Ear Hear. 2007;28(5):605-27.
14. Moore BC, Huss M, Vickers DA, Glasberg BR, Alcántara JI. A test for the diagnosis of dead regions in the cochlea. Br J Audiol. 2000;34(4):205-24.
15. Moore BC. Dead regions in the cochlea: conceptual foundations, diagnosis, and clinical applications. Ear Hear. 2004;25(2):98-116.
16. Cox RM, Alexander GC, Johnson J, Rivera I. Cochlear dead regions in typical hearing aid candidates: prevalence and implications for use of high-frequency speech cues. Ear Hear. 2011;32(3):339-48.
17. Stelmachowicz PG, Pittman AL, Hoover BM, Lewis DE. Effect of stimulus bandwidth on the perception of /s/ in normal- and hearing-impaired children and adults. J Acoust Soc Am. 2001;110(4):2183-90.
18. Stelmachowicz PG, Lewis DE, Choi S, Hoover B. Effect of stimulus bandwidth on auditory skills in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children. Ear Hear. 2007;28(4):483-94.
19. Ricketts TA, Dittberner AB, Johnson EE. High-frequency amplification and sound quality in listeners with normal through moderate hearing loss. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2008;51(1):160-72.
20. Simpson A. Frequency-lowering devices for managing high-frequency hearing loss: a review. Trends Amplif. 2009;13(2):87-106.
21. McDermott HJ, Knight MR. Preliminary results with the AVR impact frequency-transposing hearing aid. J Am Acad Audiol. 2001;12(3):121-7.
22. McDermott HJ, Dorkos VP, Dean MR, Ching TY. Improvements in speech perception with use of the AVR TranSonic frequency-transposing hearing aid. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 1999;42(6):1323-35.
23. Robinson JD, Baer T, Moore BC. Using transposition to improve consonant discrimination and detection for listeners with severe high-frequency hearing loss. Int J Audiol. 2007;46(6):293-308.
24. Kuk F, Korhonen P, Peeters H, Keenan D, Jessen A, Andersen H. Linear frequency transposition: extending the audibility of high frequency information. Hearing Review. 2006;13:42-8.
25. The audibility extender. 2010. Available in: https://www.widex.pro/en/evidence-technology/technological-excellence/widex-speech-technologies/audibility-extender
26. The Prescription of Spectral iQ. 2015. Available in: https://starkeypro.com/pdfs/technical-papers/the_prescription_of_spectral_iq.pdf
27. Glista D, McDermott H. Phonak SoundRecover: A breakthrough in enhancing intelligibility. Naida Product Information. Stafa, Switzerland: Phonak Hearing Systems; 2008.
28. SoundRecover2 – the adaptive frequency compression algorithm. 2016. Available in: https://www.phonakpro.com/content/dam/phonakpro/gc_hq/en/resources/evidence/white_paper/documents/insight_soundrecover2_028-1512.pdf
29. Stender T, Haastrup A. Frequency compression through Beltone SoundShifter. 2016. Available in: http://www.belsound.hu/beltone/_/media/DownloadLibrary/Beltone/Beltone%20Product%20Page%20Downloads/M200993GB1309RevAP2A2125.pdf?la=en
30. Sound Shaper frequency compression. Available in: http://www.gnresound.ru/en/professionals/technology-and-innovation/surround-sound-by-resound/sound-shaper
31. Angelo k, Alexande JM. Oticon Frequency Lowering Access to high-frequency speech sounds with Speech Rescue technology. 2016. Available in: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~alexan14/Publications_files/SpeechRescue.pdf
32. McDermott HJ, Dean MR. Speech perception with steeply sloping hearing loss: effects of frequency transposition. Br J Audiol. 2000;34(6):353-61.
33. Sakamoto S, Goto K, Tateno M, Kaga K. Frequency compression hearing aid for severe-to-profound hearing impairments. Auris Nasus Larynx. 2000;27(4):327-34.
34. Simpson A, Hersbach AA, McDermott HJ. Improvements in speech perception with an experimental nonlinear frequency compression hearing device. Int J Audiol. 2005;44(5):281-92.
35. Simpson A, Hersbach AA, McDermott HJ. Frequency-compression outcomes in listeners with steeply sloping audiograms. Int J Audiol. 2006;45(11):619-29.
36. Kuk F, Peeters H, Keenan D, Lau C. Use of frequency transposition in a thin-tube open-ear fitting. Hear J. 2007;60(4):59-63.
37. Nyffeler M. Study finds that non-linear frequency compression boosts speech intelligibility. Hear J. 2008;61(12):22-6.
38. Glista D, Scollie S, Bagatto M, Seewald R, Parsa V, Johnson A. Evaluation of nonlinear frequency compression: clinical outcomes. Int J Audiol. 2009;48(9):632-44.
39. Smith J, Dann M, Brown PM. An evaluation of frequency transposition for hearing-impaired school-age children. Deafness Educ Int. 2009;11(2):62-82.
40. Wolfe J, Caraway T, John A, Schafer E, Nyffeler M. Initial experiences with nonlinear frequency compression for children with mild to moderately severe hearing loss. Hear J 2009;62(9):32-5.
41. Glista D, Scollie S, Polonenko M, Sulkers J. A comparison of performance in children with nonlinear frequency compression systems. Hearing Review. 2009;16(12):20-4.
42. Auriemmo J, Kuk F, Lau C, Marshall S, Thiele N, Pikora M, et al. Effect of linear frequency transposition on speech recognition and production of school-age children. J Am Acad Audiol. 2009;20(5):289-305.
43. Kuk F, Keenan D, Korhonen P, Lau CC. Efficacy of linear frequency transposition on consonant identification in quiet and in noise. J Am Acad Audiol. 2009;20(8):465-79.
44. Wolfe J, John A, Schafer E, Nyffeler M, Boretzki M, Caraway T. Evaluation of nonlinear frequency compression for school-age children with moderate to moderately severe hearing loss. J Am Acad Audiol. 2010;21(10):618-28.
45. Bohnert A, Nyffeler M, Keilmann A. Advantages of a non-linear frequency compression algorithm in noise. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2010;267(7):1045-53.
46. J Gou, J Smith, J Valero, I Rubio .The effect of frequency transposition on speech perception in adolescents and young adults with profound hearing loss. Deafness Educ Int. 2011;13(1):17-33.
47. Uys M, Pottas L, Vinck B, van Dijk C. The influence of non-linear frequency compression on the perception of music by adults with a moderate to severe hearing loss: subjective impressions. S Afr J Commun Disord. 2012;59(1):53-67.
48. El Danasourya IMS, Hazzaaa NMA, Saberb AE, Elkabarity RH. Efficacy of frequency transposition on speech perception and production in hearing impaired Arabic-speaking children. Egyptian Society of Ear Nose Throat and Allied Sciences. 2013;14(2):129-35.
49. Alexander JM. Nonlinear frequency compression: Influence of start frequency and input bandwidth on consonant and vowel recognition. J Acoust Soc Am. 2016;139(2):938-57.
50. Bentler R, Walker E, McCreery R, Arenas RM, Roush P. Nonlinear frequency compression in hearing aids: impact on speech and language development. Ear Hear. 2014;35(4):e143-52.
51. Uys M, Latzel M. Long-term effects of non-linear frequency compression on performance of music and speech perception. Commun Disord Deaf Stud Hearing Aids. 2015;3(3):139.
52. Hillock-Dunn A, Buss E, Duncan N, Roush PA, Leibold LJ. Effects of nonlinear frequency compression on speech identification in children with hearing loss. Ear Hear. 2014;35(3):353-65.
53. Rehmann J, Jha S, Baumann SA. SoundRecover2 – the adaptive frequency compression algorithm More audibility of high frequency.sounds. 2016. Available from:https://www.phonakpro.com/content/dam/phonakpro/gc_hq/en/resources/evidence/white_paper/documents/insight_soundrecover2_028-1512.pdf
54. Alnahwi M, AlQudehy ZA. Comparison between frequency transposition and frequency compression hearing aids. Egypt J Otolaryngol. 2015;31:10-8.
55. Souza PE, Arehart KH, Kates JM, Croghan NB, Gehani N. Exploring the limits of frequency lowering. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2013;56(5):1349-63.
56. Scollie S, Glista D, Seto J, Dunn A, Schuett B, Hawkins M, et al. Fitting frequency-lowering signal processing applying the American academy of audiology pediatric amplification guideline: updates and protocols. J Am Acad Audiol. 2016;27(3):219-36.
57. Lau CC, Kuk F, Keenan D, Schumacher J. Amp¬lification for listeners with a moderately severe high-frequency hearing loss. J Am Acad Audiol. 2014;25(6):562-75.
58. Peltier E, Peltier C, Tahar S, Alliot-Lugaz E, Cazals Y. Long-term tinnitus suppression with linear octave frequency transposition hearing aids. PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e519.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 26 No 1 (2017) | |
| Section | Review Article(s) | |
| Keywords | ||
| Frequency lowering transposing frequency frequency compression non-linear frequency compression linear transposing frequency | ||
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How to Cite
1.
Rahbar N. Frequency lowering. Aud Vestib Res. 2017;26(1):4-13.
