Acoustic resonances can be tuned to compensate for specific hearing loss profiles

Evidence

Strong reflections in an ear trumpet, cousin of the speaking trumpet, are also usually undesirable, since they likewise color the sound by amplifying certain frequencies at the expense of others. However, if the resonances correspond to the spectral signature of someone’s hearing loss, they could be desirable. Apart from cosmetic and social issues, the old ear trumpet gave customers more choices for matching its properties to a particular hearing loss than did twentieth-century electronic hearing aids, which incidentally are low-fidelity devices. Twenty-first century hearing devices are quickly becoming another story, fortunately. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 559

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to modern audiology and hearing-aid design; the idea that spectral resonances can be deliberately matched to a person’s hearing loss profile parallels current digital sound-shaping technology.
• SEED: Possible essay: early 20th-century analog hearing aids offered more customization for specific hearing losses than early electronic ones — a story about how a technology’s ‘limitations’ can be turned into tunable advantages.