In many applications in which speech is played back via a sound reinforcement system such as public address systems and mobile phones, speech intelligibility is degraded by additive environmental noise. A possible solution to maintain high intelligibility in noise is to pre-process the speech signal based on the estimated noise power at the position of the listener. The previously proposed Adap...

The present study examined to what extent proficiency in a non-native language influences speech perception in noise. We explored how English proficiency affected native (Swedish) and non-native (English) speech perception in four speech reception threshold (SRT) conditions, including two energetic (stationary, fluctuating noise) and two informational (two-talker babble Swedish, two-talker babb...

The speech enhancement techniques are often employed to improve the quality and intelligibility of the noisy speech signals. This paper discusses a novel technique for speech enhancement which is based on Singular Value Decomposition. This implementation utilizes a Genetic Algorithm based optimization method for reducing the effects of environmental noises from the singular vectors as well as t...

The elderly with hearing loss have often experienced spatial deficits when only wearing aids. This case study aimed to investigate whether auditory training for could improve the ability of who wear Two older adults (males, aged 75 years and 78 years) were bilateral aids participated. They had symmetric sensorineural loss. A total 16 auditory-training sessions (40 minutes, twice per week) provi...

The speech intelligibility for different configurations of a target signal (speech) and masker (babble noise) in a horizontal and a median plane was investigated. The sources were placed at the front, in the back or in the right hand side (at different angular configurations) of a dummy head. The speech signals were presented to listeners via headphones at different signal-to-noise ratios (SNR)...

A procedure was developed for the automated measurement of the speech reception threshold in stationary noise (SRTn), which can be administered by the subjects themselves using a computer. The procedure was based on the SRTn test for Dutch developed by Plomp and Mimpen [(1979). "Improving the reliability of testing the speech reception threshold for sentences," Audiology, 18, 43-52]. Because in...

The reception of speech transmitted through an acoustic channel such as the ocean is limited by multipath "time-smearing." The purpose of this study was to obtain a quantitative measure of the effects of such timesmearing on speech intelligibility. A linear, time-invariant channel was used as a model of the ocean. The impulse response of this channel was a sample of band-limited Gaussian noise....

Children between the ages of 4 and 7 and adults were tested in free field on speech intelligibility using a four-alternative forced choice paradigm with spondees. Target speech was presented from front (0 degrees); speech or modulated speech-shaped-noise competitors were either in front or on the right (90 degrees). Speech reception thresholds were measured adaptively using a three-down/one-up ...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the benefit of having preserved acoustic hearing in the implanted ear for speech recognition in complex listening environments. DESIGN The present study included a within-subjects, repeated-measures design including 21 English-speaking and 17 Polish-speaking cochlear implant (CI) recipients with preserved acoustic hearing in the implanted ear. The...