Stimulus and transducer effects on threshold. (February 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Flamme, Gregory A.; Geda, Kyle; McGregor, Kara D.; Wyllys, Krista; Deiters, Kristy K.; Murphy, William J.; Stephenson, Mark R.
• Is Part Of: International journal of audiology. Volume 54(2015)Supplement 1
• Page Start: S19
• Page End: S29
• Publication Date: 2015-02
• Subjects: Audiometry -- noise-induced hearing loss -- reliability -- occupational health; Audiology -- Periodicals; Hearing disorders -- Periodicals; Deafness -- Prevention -- Periodicals; Hearing Disorders -- Periodicals; Hearing -- Periodicals; 617.8
• DOI: 10.3109/14992027.2014.979300
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1499-2027

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: This study examined differences in thresholds obtained under Sennheiser HDA200 circumaural earphones using pure tone, equivalent rectangular noise bands, and 1/3 octave noise bands relative to thresholds obtained using Telephonics TDH-39P supra-aural earphones. Design: Thresholds were obtained via each transducer and stimulus condition six times within a 10-day period. Study sample: Forty-nine adults were selected from a prior study to represent low, moderate, and high threshold reliability. Results: The results suggested that (1) only small adjustments were needed to reach equivalent TDH-39P thresholds, (2) pure-tone thresholds obtained with HDA200 circumaural earphones had reliability equal to or better than those obtained using TDH-39P earphones, (3) the reliability of noise-band thresholds improved with broader stimulus bandwidth and was either equal to or better than pure-tone thresholds, and (4) frequency-specificity declined with stimulus bandwidths greater than one equivalent rectangular band, which could complicate early detection of hearing changes that occur within a narrow frequency range. Conclusions: These data suggest that circumaural earphones such as the HDA200 headphones provide better reliability for audiometric testing as compared to the TDH-39P earphones. These data support the use of noise bands, preferably ERB noises, as stimuli for audiometric monitoring.