Oticon More Sound Booster Vs Speech in Noise

[nope]

Does anyone know what the Sound Booster actually does? I’ve seen people talking about using speech in noise or even comfort mode when in a loud environment but I never see anything about the sound booster. What does it actually do and when is it worth using?

Also, I believe there are some users here that have a more direct line of contact with Oticon but why is this feature not able to be turned on using an Apple Watch? I love that I can change everything from my watch but always forget about this feature because I have to go to my phone to turn it on.

[cvkemp]

For me the MoreSoundBoost gives me a more directional focus. I don’t have a separate speech in noise, and don’t need it as I don’t have a comfort program either. I have default, tinnitus, t-coil, TV adapter, and the mic, which is using the iPhone microphone or the connect clip.

[nope]

That might be what I need to do. Speech in noise honestly works great but it does make everything pretty shrill sounding. I’ll mess with the boost a bit more to see if that does the trick.

[Volusiano]

From what I can tell, Speech In Noise increases the default max Neural Noise Suppression, but it leaves the Directionality Settings at Neural Automatic. The MoreSound Booster, on the other hand, according to Oticon, gives you Full Directionality toward the front.

I don’t know if the MoreSound Booster would make everything less shrill sounding or not (if I presume that shrill here means there’s a lot of highs, tinny), but at least, if Speech In Noise leans more toward omnidirectional and less directional in certain situation, and MoreSound Booster blocks out most everything except in front, then just by virtue of more sound blocking, you may find it less “shrilling”. But that’s only because of the attenuation in the surrounding, not because of a change in gain curve. Although there’s no way to observe the gain curve of the MoreSound Booster because it’s not a program that you can observe in Genie 2. One can only logically presume that it probably has the same gain curve as the Speech in Noise program.

When I do an A/B comparison between the default P1 and the Speech in Noise gain curve in the More 1 on Genie for my hearing loss profile, I notice that Speech in Noise gives me a slightly higher gain in the lows and mids as compared to the default program. That could be the source of your shrill as well, if shrill here just means louder, but not necessarily louder in the highs.

[nope]

Thanks for the info, that makes sense. And yes, when I say shrill, I mean the highs seem to get much louder. I’ll try it out next time I’m at a restaurant rant and see how the directionality works. Appreciate the reply

[SpudGunner]

@Volusiano & @TheGoatLord: One evening this spring, shortly after getting my More1s, my wife had just come in from the yard and asked me if I could hear the peepers. At that time, I was running VAC+ as my default program, and NAL-NL2 to give me a “sharper” sound. I couldn’t hear the peepers with my default program set at its default gain setting, but I could if I set the slider to +4. This setting worked over 360°.

When I turned on MoreSoundBooster in VAC+ and scanned the hedgerow like Jodi Johnston on StarTrak, I could zero in on the peepers without having to increase the volume, although they weren’t quite as loud as when volume was cranked to +4 in omnidirectional mode.

(NAL-NL2 gave me slightly better sensitivity: I could hear the peepers in 360° mode with a volume increase of +2, and if I activated MoreSoundBooster, I didn’t need to increase the volume slider at all.)

I find that NAL-NL2 is similar, in a way, to Speech in Noise: it is very effective, but tiring, because it is shrill. This “sharpness” has a value for me, because when I’m home alone I’m with the critters, I can hear a pin drop and can detect “critter noises” with no problem when I use this program. I eventually swapped out NAL-NS2 for DSL v5.0, just as an experiment, but neither of these fitting rationales gave me enough advantage over VAC+ to keep them.

Sooo … I eventually swapped out DSLv5.0 for Speech in Noise, which I find to be extremely effective and useful, albeit tiring due to its sharp/shrill sound. It’s definitely earned a permanent place in my program menu.

Let’s comment on the other programs: T-coil is very useful when I need 100% focus on a phone call. It’s a keeper, as far as I’m concerned. EduMic and ConnectClip each have their own dedicated channels (for some reason unknown to me) and, finally, MyMusic wastes a program slot with its “BoomBox” emulation.

They’re all useful to me, (with the exception of MyMusic) and have earned their keep, even though my default VAC+ program handles 80% of my situations.

Just as a final wrap up - yes, MoreSoundBooster delivers a highly directional, beam forming option to the Genuine Oticon OpenSound®️Concept User, and provides a useful alternative to OpenSound®️ in extremely demanding situations.

[gkumar]

What is the difference between Speech in Noise with Directional turned on versus Speech in Noise or Default Programs with More Sound Booster turned on?

[Volusiano]

Oticon has never given too much details about MoreSound Booster (or OpenSound Booster) except that it can/must be enabled inside the ON app (you can’t step through the programs to it), and that it attenuates sounds on the side and back more, and that it increases the noise reduction level in the HA.

One would presume that if one installs the Speech in Noise program and change its Directionality Setting from Neural Automatic to Fully Directional, and maybe increase the max Neural Noise Suppression level in Difficult Environment to the max value, then it’d probably be equivalent to MoreSound Booster. But maybe not necessarily so.

There’s no mention about whether the gain curve for the MoreSound Booster is similar to that of Speech in Noise or to that of the default P1 program with VAC+, or maybe it’s different than either of those programs altogether.

It’s also not clear if while you’re using Speech in Noise, and you decide to enable MoreSound Booster on top of it, whether there’s going to be just an additive effect of forced Full Directionality and increase noise reduction, but keeping the gain curve of Speech in Noise, or whether it’s a complete take over where not just the Full Directionality and added noise reduction is forced, but a special Booster gain curve is also forced to override your current program’s gain curve.

If I were you, I’d just try to use the default P1 then enable the Booster on top of it. Then use Speech in Noise then enable the Booster on top of that, to see how the 2 situations are different. It’d also be very interesting to see how going from the Music program to the Booster change things.

[SpudGunner]

@Volusiano and @gkumar: There is no MoreSoundBooster feature available when you’re in Speech in Noise.

[SpudGunner]

@Volusiano

then it’d probably be equivalent to MoreSound Booster. But maybe not necessarily so

I think the performance of Speech in Noise is similar to More Sound Booster. I haven’t had a good opportunity to check this out, but I will at noon while dining with a friend.

So far, SiN seems less directional. I have experimented while driving, and MSB attenuated more noise from the sides than SiN.

[SpudGunner]

@Volusiano

If I were you, I’d just try to use the default P1 then enable the Booster on top of it. Then use Speech in Noise then enable the Booster on top of that, to see how the 2 situations are different.

Just to be clear: you can’t do this. Speech in Noise has no MSB toggle switch.

[Mago]

SpudGunner is correct. More Sound Booster is only available in P1.
It is not the same as Speech in Noise Program. You can also adjust in programing the direction of Speech in Noise to include front and side(s).
My Audi said - The More Sound Booster is to help lower the
external constant environmental “noise” like a fan running, to help you focus on a task, such as working in an office on a computer all day and there is a fan or heater running.
I was able to tell a difference with a little ceramic heater running to my left. It is definitely not Speech in Noise.
So far, my observation is it is not a huge benefit, but nice it’s there when I am alone, and trying to concentrate.

[SpudGunner]

@Mago

It is not the same as Speech in Noise Program .

This is true: please note that I only said I thought they were similar in terms of some of the things they do for me. I’ve done a few experiments, and I’d say that the MSB feature does offer fairly strong directionality compared to my other programs, and it helps me to hear the “critter noises” around the house.

I haven’t tried MSB in a downright noisy situation, but I can tell you that Speech in Noise is effective.

[Volusiano]

@SpudGunner

@Volusiano

If I were you, I’d just try to use the default P1 then enable the Booster on top of it. Then use Speech in Noise then enable the Booster on top of that, to see how the 2 situations are different.

Just to be clear: you can’t do this. Speech in Noise has no MSB toggle switch.

Thanks for the clarification, Jim. Apparently Oticon put a little bit of smart in there to remove some ambivalence between Speech in Noise and the Booster.

So the MoreSound Booster is not available in any other built-in programs except for the default P1 program then? For example, if you have a Lecture program, or a Comfort program, or one of the Tcoil programs, does the Booster button disappear, too? Obviously for the Music or MyMusic program, the Booster button should disappear.

[SpudGunner]

@Volusiano: I can only get MSB in my default program.

[Volusiano]

@Mago

My Audi said - The More Sound Booster is to help lower the
external constant environmental “noise” like a fan running, to help you focus on a task, such as working in an office on a computer all day and there is a fan or heater running.
I was able to tell a difference with a little ceramic heater running to my left. It is definitely not Speech in Noise.

I wonder if the constant mechanical noise attenuation is simply more due to the attenuation of the back and sides thanks to more beam forming toward the front. Or whether the constant mechanical noise attenuation is done in a special, different way for the MoreSound Booster like your audi said.

I guess the simplest way to answer this is to face the source of the constant mechanical noise so that it’s right in front of you. If you can hear it, then your audi is wrong (it’s only because of the front beam forming, not because of any special focus to remove constant mechanical noises). If you don’t hear it any louder in front than on the side or in the back, then your audi is correct.

[SpudGunner]

@Mago

My Audi said - The More Sound Booster is to help lower the
external constant environmental “noise” like a fan running, to help you focus on a task,

Speaking from my own experience, I don’t fully subscribe to this explanation. My MoreSoundBooster gives me strong beam forming that I’ve been able to empirically verify in a few situations this year. I think it works in the way @Volusiano suggests.

[Mago]

My take on the More Sound Booster:

I experimented with the More Sound Booster as you suggested. Turning it on, the reduced sound of the heater fan is the same in all directions, including facing the source. I also stood under my (jet engine) bathroom fan and noise was reduced in all directions, including looking up and facing the fan noise.
I would describe it as dulling the constant noise. I still hear it, but way in the background. I don’t feel it as boosting sound, but rather quieting certain sounds. The name implies it makes sounds louder/better to be heard. It doesn’t. It reduces certain competing noise so we can focus better - in theory. Normal hearing people just hear and can tune out the noise naturally. I have to focus on what is important to hear and discard the not important, and sound booster helps by reducing the heater fan noise, even working in my quiet office alone.

What I love about Oticon OPN and Mores is the open - ness. I want to hear everything, but sometimes constant fan like noise can be irritating to me - computer, printer, etc. I didn’t really start to use the Sound Booster until the weather turned chilly, and I started using the oscillating tower heater in my office.

I would like to think Oticon is adding additional, easy tweaks to help us individualize our hearing capabilities, and the More Sound Booster is an example, as well as the equalizer when streaming.

Audi said most people can’t tell the difference using More Sound Booster, but one professional research client loves it, and uses it all day.

[SpudGunner]

@Mago

I don’t feel it as boosting sound, but rather quieting certain sounds. The name implies it makes sounds louder/better to be heard. It doesn’t. It reduces certain competing noise so we can focus better - in theory. Normal hearing people just hear and can tune out the noise naturally. I have to focus on what is important to hear and discard the not important, and sound booster helps by reducing the heater fan noise, even working in my quiet office alone

This is a good description, @Mago, but how would you explain my being able to hear the spring peepers by looking in a certain direction, or the attenuation of side window wind noise in my van?

[cvkemp]

So true the MoreSoundBooster is setting my aids into directional mode to the front.