Speaker
Description
Clinical audiology aims to enable seamless participation in everyday life, including effective communication, enjoyment of music, and awareness of surrounding environments. Central to these goals is the user’s ability to adapt comfortably to hearing aids. However, achieving an optimal hearing experience is challenging, as no single hearing aid sound design meets the preferences of all individuals. To address this challenge, a sound preference tool was developed to capture individual sound preferences and support hearing aid recommendations. The present study investigated whether preferences identified by this tool predicted real-life hearing aid preference. Seventeen participants completed the study, which involved two clinic visits and a two-week home trial. During the first visit, participants used the sound preference tool to compare two hearing aid sound profiles across everyday listening scenarios. Based on participant responses, the tool identified a preferred profile corresponding to one of two hearing aid sound designs. Participants then alternated daily between the two hearing aid sound designs during the home trial. At the second visit, real-life hearing aid preference was assessed. Results showed a correspondence between tool-based sound preference and preferred hearing aid in real life. These findings suggest that the sound preference tool can predict real-life hearing aid preference.