I asked my audiologist to do some PMM in ear testing of Oticon Intent 1 for verification of noise reduction levels and to help determine when the HA was switching from Easy to Difficult processing. The testing was performed using Pink Noise with a 15 second delay between measurements. The test was performed at 50 dB, 65 dB, and 75 dB. I did not obtain a printout of the results, but the noise reduction amounts were very similar or possibly slightly higher for the 65 and 75 dB input signals. The maximum noise reduction was around 5 to 6 dB regardless of input level.
The Oticon Intent 1 was set at 2 dB NNS-Easy and 10 dB NNS-Difficult. The Environment settings were Moderate-Difficult.
We then repeated the test with NNS-Easy set to 6 dB but it did not change the results.
Questions:
1 - Does anyone know how long the time delay needs to be between measurements to obtain the maximum noise reduction amount.
2 - Does anyone know the approximate dB level for the HA to switch from Easy to Difficult. I know this is dependent on the HA Environment settings but just looking for an approximate level.
3 - Do all the remaining HA settings need to be turned off? Tried to remain motionless during the entire test so I thought we would be OK but possibly not?
I’m hoping to repeat this test inside a HIT box to see if that will change the results so any information on methods of improvement would be appreciated.
Here is another attempt to verify Oticon Intent hearing aid assessment to improve speech in noise in a loud or noisy environment. First I forgot to include the following information in the above verification testing. The test were performed with Oticon Bass Dome Double Vents in an attempt to improve HA performance over the Oticon OpenBass Domes that I normally use. However, I find the Bass Dome Double Vents to be lacking in structural integrity and often believe they are not sealing with the ear cannel or possibly turning slightly sideways again preventing a good seal. Based on this and information from numerous sources it would seem that these domes are a significant factor in preventing the Oticon Intents from achieving their full noise reduction potential.
As such I’m considering purchasing some Oticon custom earmolds for use in noisy environments to improve speech intelligibility. Before spending the money on these I would like to know if anyone has performed QuickSIN testing with their Oticon Intents. By this I mean performing an unaided QuickSIN assessment followed by a aided QuickSIN assessment to measure speech improvement. Attached is a figure showing a comparison of results from such a test.
I’ve used pink noise in an Audioscan Axiom test box to verify noise reduction features in some devices. With the Intents, I will notice the most obvious changes when adjusting the NNS-Difficult amounts if I am using a 90 dB noise signal. As of this writing, I have not found a testing parameter i.e. input level to evoke obvious changes with NNS-Easy adjustments.
Note, this is leaving the rest of the MoreSound Intelligence parameters alone, like Virtual Outer Ear and Sound Enhancer.
As far as time between measurements to get the largest measurement, I think 15 seconds is fine. That is, I would not expect you to need to take more time than that.