Even small asymmetries between ears reduce binaural summation

Evidence

In natural auditory scenes, the head shadow can contribute to the abnormal representation of the ILD. Consider an example in which head shadow renders a sound inaudible in one ear but audible in the other. In this scenario, the representation of the ILD in the auditory system will be larger than that present in the environment, causing distortions to the perception of space. Consider also a listener with small, 5-dB asymmetry in hearing. For example, if his hearing is 5 dB better in the right ear than in the left ear, a sound presented to his left ear will be associated with an ILD that is 10 dB larger than when a sound is presented to his right ear. The auditory system may be unable to compensate for these distortions, leading to disruptions in the perception of space. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1582 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Output-dependent inhibition creates amplificatory feedback that sharpens binaural asymmetries; Binaural phase disparities improve tone detection by up to 25 dB.; Interaural place-of-stimulation mismatch shrinks the binaural interaction component’s magnitude. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 1448 (+4 more)

Related

• A 5-dB hearing asymmetry doubles the perceived interaural level difference (similarity 0.92)
• Loudspeaker level differences become inter-ear phase differences via cross talk (similarity 0.86)
• Binaural summation gives a consistent two-ears vs one-ear benefit (similarity 0.85)
• Interaural level differences of 1-2 dB produce just-audible lateral displacement (similarity 0.85)
• Even small hearing asymmetries across ears disrupt binaural hearing. (similarity 0.85)
• Output-dependent inhibition creates amplificatory feedback that sharpens binaural asymmetries (similarity 0.85)
• Head shadowing and binaural hearing raise sensitivity by six decibels or more (similarity 0.84)
• Binaural sound is judged louder than the same sound heard monaurally (similarity 0.83)
• Head-related pressure reflections and binaural hearing boost sensitivity by about 6-12 dB (similarity 0.82)
• Head shadowing gives roughly 6 dB interaural amplitude difference near 1.85 kHz (similarity 0.82)
• Head shadow gives one ear a better signal-to-noise ratio in typical listening (similarity 0.82)
• Binaural loudness summation shrinks dramatically when one ear is occluded in a sound field. (similarity 0.82)
• Head shadow makes high-frequency binaural cues inaudible in sloping hearing loss (similarity 0.82)
• Head shading creates interaural level differences used for sound localization (similarity 0.82)
• The head shadows and reflects sound to create level differences between the ears. (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• A 5-dB hearing asymmetry doubles the perceived interaural level difference #expands (0.85) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1582
• Binaural squelch adds 3 to 5 dB by using the poorer ear’s signal #complicates (0.72)