The improvement in speech recognition in noise obtained with directional microphones
compared to omnidirectional microphones is referred to as the directional advantage.
Laboratory studies have revealed substantial differences in the magnitude of the directional
advantage across hearing-impaired listeners. This investigation examined whether persons
who were successful users of directional microphone hearing aids in everyday living
tended to obtain a larger directional advantage in the test booth than persons who
were unsuccessful users. Results revealed that the mean directional advantage did
not differ significantly between patients who used the directional mode regularly
and those who reported little or no benefit from directional microphones in daily
living and, therefore, tended to leave their hearing aids set in the default omnidirectional
mode. Success with directional microphone hearing aids in everyday living, therefore,
cannot be reliably predicted by the magnitude of the directional advantage obtained
in the clinic.
Key Words
Directional advantage - directional microphones - hearing aids
