Hearing Loss
Conditions
Brief summary
This study aims to generate clinical evidence to substantiate performance claims for the AutoFocus 360 feature in Sonova hearing aid products. AutoFocus 360 is designed to enhance speech intelligibility by detecting the direction of incoming speech and dynamically steering the beamformer toward the talker, regardless of their position relative to the listener. Preliminary internal testing suggested potential benefits in reducing noise disturbance and improving speech clarity compared to traditional directional microphone modes, with outcomes depending on noise type, talker location, and microphone configuration. The present study will systematically evaluate sound quality and listening performance with AutoFocus 360 versus conventional fixed directional settings to support claims of improved speech understanding in noise.
Detailed description
Claims evidence is required for the AutoFocus 360 feature on upcoming product platforms. AutoFocus 360 is a feature that enhances speech intelligibility by detecting the direction from where speech is coming from relative to the hearing aid wearer and steering the beamforming towards the direction of the speech. Informal exploratory testing by normal hearing Sonova employees have identified that AutoFocus 360 reduces noise disturbance and improves speech clarity, over other microphones modes with some dependencies on (1) noise type, (2) talker location and (3) specific mode comparisons. AutoFocus 360 is intended to improve listening by directing the hearing aid beamformer towards the speaker wherever they are relative to the listener (i.e. front, side or rear) compared to other in-noise beamforming, mainly fixed wide directional. Sonova currently does not have any data to support this. Therefore, this study will aim to produce sound quality data showing a benefit for Autofocus 360 over traditional beamforming for the purpose of claim substantiation.
Interventions
DEVICEAutoFocus 360
AutoFocus 360 is a feature that enhances speech intelligibility by detecting the direction from where speech is coming from relative to the hearing aid wearer and steering the beamforming towards the direction of the speech.
DEVICEFixed directional microphone
Fixed directional microphones delivers static beamforming towards the front of the hearing aid wearer.
Sponsors
Jonathan Vaisberg
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Adults (18-99 years) * Binaural, symmetric, sensorineural N2 (mild) to N5 (moderate-severe) hearing loss * Fluent in English
Exclusion criteria
* Minors (\< 18 years * Normal hearing or hearing loss \> N6 (severe)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Noise Disturbance Sound Quality Attribute | During a single 2-hour onsite study session | Participants will complete an A-B paired-comparison listening task to assess subjective preference for noise disturbance between two hearing aid conditions. In other words, participants will be asked "which sample has less disturbing noise". During testing, participants will listen to short audio recordings that vary in talker location and noise type. For each trial, participants will indicate which of the two recordings (A or B) has less bothersome background noise. The outcome measure will be the the percentage of "A preferred" versus "B preferred" responses aggregated across all trials and participants for a given noise and talker location. In other words, for a single noise x talker location combination, the outcome measures for AF360 and FWD should add up to 100. Binary preference data will be analyzed using inferential statistics. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Speech Clarity Sound Quality Attribute | During a single 2-hour onsite study session | Participants will complete an A-B paired-comparison listening task to assess subjective preference for speech clarity between two hearing aid conditions. In other words, participants will be asked "which sample has clearer speech". During testing, participants will listen to short audio recordings that vary in talker location and noise type. For each trial, participants will indicate which of the two recordings (A or B) has clearer speech. The outcome measure will be the proportion of "A preferred" versus "B preferred" responses aggregated across all trials and participants for a given noise and talker location. In other words, for a single noise x talker location combination, the outcome measures for AF360 and FWD should add up to 100. . Binary preference data will be analyzed using inferential statistics. |
Countries
Canada
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJinyu Qian, PhD
Sonova AG
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | — |
|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 71.4 Years STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.7 |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 12 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 8 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 20 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 20 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 20 |
Outcome results
None listed