Vinaya Manchaiah, Steve Taddei, Abram Bailey, De Wet Swanepoel, Hansapani Rodrigo, Andrew Sabin
This research introduces the "SoundScore," a consumer-friendly metric (0-5 scale) designed to help users evaluate hearing device audio performance across five dimensions: speech benefit in quiet/moderate environments, speech benefit in loud settings, own voice perception, feedback control, and streamed music quality. Testing 41 devices, the study found prescription hearing aids achieved the highest average scores while PSAPs scored lowest. A strong positive correlation was found between price and SoundScore, with marginal improvements beyond USD $1,000.
Vinaya Manchaiah, Steve Taddei, Abram Bailey, De Wet Swanepoel, Hansapani Rodrigo, Andrew Sabin
This study examined the relationship between hearing device pricing and sound quality using SoundScore across 71 devices. Key findings: sound quality improves significantly with price up to approximately USD $1,000-$1,500 per pair; devices under $500 showed consistently poor scores; devices between $500-$1,000 were highly variable; and devices over $1,000 demonstrated consistently good performance. Beyond $1,000-$1,500, additional spending yields marginal audio quality improvements.
Megan Knoetze, Vinaya Manchaiah, Kayla Cormier, Carly Schimmel, Anu Sharma, De Wet Swanepoel
This research investigated how self-fitting OTC hearing aids compare to clinical NAL-NL2 targets. Two experiments compared six FDA-approved OTC devices (n=43) and tracked gain changes longitudinally (n=15). Key findings: OTC users selected gain levels substantially below clinical standards, particularly at higher frequencies; gain measurements remained stable over a year-long follow-up; and despite lower gain than recommended, users reported good satisfaction and speech-in-noise benefits.
Larry E. Humes, Sumitrajit Dhar, Vinaya Manchaiah, Anu Sharma, Theresa H. Chisolm, Michelle L. Arnold, Victoria A. Sanchez
This perspective article discusses the move towards consumer-centric hearing healthcare, driven by technological advancements (e.g., merger of consumer-grade hearing aids with consumer-grade earphones) and policy changes (e.g., the FDA creating the OTC hearing aid category). It provides a framework and identifies tools to improve and maintain optimal auditory wellness across the adult life course, including validated self-assessment tools and education resources.
This article describes HearAdvisor's independent acoustic testing laboratory methodology for assessing hearing aid performance. Using a specially designed quiet room with an industry-standard acoustic manikin (KEMAR) positioned within a ring of eight speakers, the team evaluates hearing aids across multiple dimensions including speech intelligibility, music streaming quality, occlusion perception, and feedback levels. Results are combined into a single SoundScore based on weightings derived from surveys of hearing healthcare professionals and consumers.
This technical whitepaper describes our comprehensive approach to hearing aid evaluation: (a) recording hearing aids in realistic and repeatable environments using an 8-speaker array and KEMAR manikin, (b) deriving hearing aid settings using audiological practices, (c) processing recordings for presentation over the internet, (d) computing perceptually-relevant metrics including speech perception benefit (HASPIv2), occlusion, music streaming quality (HAAQI), and feedback, and (e) reducing those metrics to a single SoundScore value and Expert Choice award threshold.
HearAdvisor welcomes collaboration with researchers and academic institutions. If you're interested in using our data, methodology, or facilities for your research, we'd love to hear from you.