Advanced Hearing Aid Features Explained | Compression

Advanced Hearing Aid Features Explained | Compression. Dr. Cliff Olson, Audiologist and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Anthem Arizona, discusses Hearing Aid Compression.

The development of digital hearing aid technology in the mid 1990's allowed engineers to introduce some pretty amazing features inside of today's modern hearing aids. But perhaps one of the most important features is Compression.

The easiest way to think of compression is for you to imagine someone who is speaking softly to you vs. someone who is yelling at you. If you have a hearing loss, you need to amplify the soft spoken person MORE than you need to amplify the sound of the person who is yelling.

Before compression, hearing aids could only apply the same amount of amplification to every sound. Potentially making soft sounds too soft and loud sounds too loud.

Someone with normal hearing has a wide range of sounds that they can hear. All the way from very soft sounds, to very loud sounds. We call this the Dynamic Range. The reason compression is so important is that someone with a hearing loss has a more narrow range of sounds that are audible, and all of the same sounds that the normal hearing person can hear must be "compressed" into that narrow range.

In order to make this happen, compression must be utilized when programming hearing aids. By adjusting the correct level of amplification for Loud, Average, and Soft level sounds, your hearing care professional can ensure that all of these sounds are audible and comfortable. By doing so, compression is also being adjusted.

When using Real Ear Measurement to verify the correct amount of amplification & Compression for your hearing aids, Loud, Average, and Soft level Speech Sounds are presented from a loudspeaker in front of you. The amplification levels of your hearing aids are then measured inside of your ear canals with a Probe Microphone to determine if the correct amount of amplification is being given for each of these Input Levels.

Your hearing care provider will make adjustments in the hearing aid programming software until they match the amplification to your prescriptive targets. What you are looking at here are amplification measurements taken inside of a patient’s ear canal. The goal is to match the Solid lines which is the hearing aid amplification, with the Hash Mark Lines, which is the prescription for each of these sound inputs.

If your hearing care professional matches these targets accurately, it will ensure that Loud, Average, and Soft sounds are correctly amplified with the right amount of compression.

This should give you a basic level understanding of what compression is. Hopefully it gives you an understanding of the complexity of what a hearing care professional is actually doing when programming your hearing aids. Programming hearing aids is more than adjusting overall volume.

While compression isn't the most exciting hearing aid feature like Bluetooth and automatically adjusting programs, it could quite possibly be the most important hearing aid feature in today's modern hearing aids.

[tyrannosaurus]

I'm willing to hear an hour long lecture of compression if it's coming from Dr Cliff

[jesuslolo]

Thanks Doctor Cliff for all of your videos. I would like you to make a video about frecuency compression. Thank you very much.

[justsewbabysew]

I was wondering if you could do a video about hearing aid molds, the process of getting them and the different kinds or styles. I have had hearing aids since April for bilateral mild sensorineural hearing loss. I've tried 4 different sizes/types of domes and still have issues with feedback and feeling like the domes move out of place. I tried to do research about this process before my last appointment with my audiologist but couldn't find a ton of information. I have Oticon Siya 2 RIC hearing aids. My audiologist and I decided to do custom molds. She chose a skeleton mold for me with VarioTherm material because my ear canals go upwards. I would love to have more information out there.

[sanchikas]

You are was tensed to know what it mean ...but u made my day...thank u😊😊

[crispinhandly]

Thanks for this explanation Dr. Cliff. I have hyperacusis in which sounds cause physical pain to my ears in the form of delayed burning many days after exposure to certain sounds above 70db. I see that you're able to program certain frequencies with negative numbers (i.e. -10). I'm curious if hearing aids with this feature are using some form of noise-cancelling technology or how the negative characteristic works (how is this achievable?). How does it actually lower ambient sounds?

I ask because from anecdotal reports I've seen from many with this condition (the pain type, not the loudness type), the noise-cancelling frequency can bring on pain even though its silent.

I'm looking for a solution to cut down environmental sounds while still being able to hear them at lower levels so that I can work or meet up with friends again. I thought maybe a hearing aid with custom in-ear molds (that work as earplugs) might do the trick, but wondering about the negative programming feature with this.

I see the University of South Florida is currently testing a device that I believe may use this type of technology, but with white noise incorporated. I'm looking for something similar, without the white noise component. I'm in many hyperacusis groups so if I can find something that works for me, I'd be able to help many others with this info.

[dnyaneshwarnighojkar]

Whether programmed hearing aid's programme over rides the streaming input and mobile call input sound also ? Or not ?

[thandiweruthgwashira]

Dr Cliff, I am a final year Audiology student really struggling with this topic... Kindly do tutorials even 30min long or more
I am willing to listen

[travismajorpayne]

I would love to see you make a series of video for professionals who grow their skills. Im always trying to learn better programming techniques

[davidgolden]

Thank you for another great video. It is very informative. Have you made a video on when to have a custom ear mold vs a dome style? I have one of each, but the hearing in my better ear (dome style) has gotten worse. Going in for a new audiogram. Thanks again.

[tranvck]

Nice explanation, dr.Cliff! Thank you :)

[melissakelly]

Can you also provide a video for explanation with compression in detailed audiological terms?

[radosawkaczmarczyk]

As always great video. Audio compresssion is a good thing in hearing aid. In music mixing compressions reduces dynamic range which makes it sound flat. It is related to a term "loduness war". Do you think that music loudness war could be a cause of hearing loss in some cases?

[wisemaj]

Thanks for your great and informative videos! My question concerns Real Ear Measurement with respect to Compression. I asked my audiologist if he does REM and he replied that he does not, because he thinks doing it in an office setting doesn't capture the needs for real world environments. So, first of all, what do you think of that opinion? And, ... is it possible to program an accurate compression profile without REM? Note that I currently have six year old Phonak Nadia S CRT V hearing aids, so perhaps compression programming isn't even possible for me?

[drewlancaster]

Hello Dr Cliff, good basic explanation of compression and how digital HA’s make use of it to provide adequate sound to a person. Thanks for continuing to provide these excellent videos.

[wademartinishere]

Dear Dr. Olson, I'm writing on behalf of my dad. He has trouble with high-frequency hearing loss. Can hearing aids help him hear high frequencies (by compression, translation, or another method)? Many thanks doc, I love your videos!!! - Wade

[sancoffsr]

Dr Cliff is it worth buy a Extended warranty for my Oticon hearing aids 180.00 per year

[davidhosmer]

Good description, I ran sound systems ( hobby volunteer and mostly acoustic instruments - hate "squashed" -- overly compressed vocals ) I am now looking for HAs in my retirement so I can remain social. Compression is a needed compromise for voice clarity. I have to stop thinking of hearing aids as a sound reproduction system. There are probably as many deaf sound engineers as there are rock musicians. How can a engineer mix a concert when his hearing is out of wack? Well rock ect. don't exist in the real world outside the amplified . Also the mind / ear can still compare the stage sound to the main mix. Besides there are plenty of "critics" that will tell you if it sounds like c___ or needs more . I am far from expert so take all this with a grain of salt. Thanks for videos.

[gtewewrrrrrr]

Please do an hour long video on compression.. 😁

[arthurwalton]

Hi doc I have just purchase a pair of phonak Audeo M90-R I was wondering if the Audiologist can make changes to them without my consent meaning he can make them not as good in the future so I have to get a new pair thank you. Arthur

[kylieschafers]

okay wow very interesting lol And I have a hearing aid and I find it cool to learn things about hearing aids