High-Fidelity Hearing Instruments: Evaluating Listening Quality of a New Prototype Using a Method for Evaluating Modified Listening (MEML)

A novel prototype of an individualized electronic earpiece providing acoustic transparency, i.e., a sound impression that is perceptually equivalent to the open ear, is evaluated in terms of its listening quality. However, methods allowing for testing such advanced hearing devices in a way that is comprehensive, subjective blind, realistic and easy to use for the subject, are not readily available. We therefore present an according modular framework and use it to evaluate the new prototype operated as a personal assistive listening device in combination with advanced signal enhancement schemes. The introduced evaluation method is directly applicable for testing all hearing devices affecting a listener's live sound perception.