Office: (408) 248-2545
By: George Christos
Breakthrough in High Frequency Amplification
Breakthrough in High Frequency Amplification
The majority of people with hearing loss experience more difficulty hearing sounds at high frequencies than at low frequencies. Poor perception of high frequency sounds can cause difficulty in recognizing certain speech sounds such as /f/ , /s/, and /sh/, as well as high-pitched environmental sounds such as birdsongs, alarm, and some musical sounds. When fitting hearing aids, the greater the degree of hearing loss, the more gain is necessary at that frequency. However, for some people there is so much loss in the high frequencies, that is not possible to provide enough gain to hear these sounds. In addition, trying to provide the gain creates problems with acoustic feedback or discomfort due to excessive loudness.
As conventional amplification does not provide enough usable high frequency information, other methods need to be considered. Over the years there have been various attempts to “transpose” high frequencies to lower ranges where there is more usable hearing. Before the advent of digital technology in hearing aids these attempts resulted in poor sound quality and “artifacts” especially in noise which are sometimes audible to the hearing aid user. In addition, these “transposed” frequencies tended to distort the neighboring mid-range sounds.
In 2008 the Phonak company developed SoundRecover, a new and unique solution to achieve high frequency audibility. This technology was initially developed for the Ultra Power Naida behind the ear hearing aid. SoundRecover succeeded in progressively compressing the high frequencies into narrow range, allowing improved high frequency perception while avoiding the production of annoying artifacts. Subsequent studies have demonstrated the potential of this technology to improve perception of high frequency sounds.
Over the past two years Phonak has introduced SoundRecover technology into a wide variety of products, including “mini thin tube” and “ receiver in canal behind the ear” products for those with mild to moderate hearing loss which is more pronounced in the higher frequencies. Since these products do not require custom fitted earpieces they can be demonstrated here in our office.
If you would like to learn more about new developments in hearing aid technology, please call for an appointment. We can provide a current hearing evaluation, and possible demonstration of advanced hearing aid technology.
Many thanks,
George Christos
Audiologist
