Audibility deficits must be corrected before supra-threshold factors can be studied.

Evidence

Clearly without an audible signal, there can be no speech perception, and the remaining supra-threshold deficits are irrelevant. Once audibility is taken into account (e.g., a talker raises his voice or an assistive device is worn), supra-threshold factors begin to impact the perception of sounds in natural scenes, factors which are discussed next. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1690

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies the distinction between audibility and supra-threshold auditory deficits, a foundational clinical-analytic split.