Hearing aids fail to restore sound localization in many listeners

Evidence

Although hearing aids can compensate for issues related to audibility, they cannot address abnormal physiological coding. We see evidence that audibility is not the only driving factor of abnormal sound localization in listeners with hearing loss, as hearing aids do not appear to restore sound localization for many listeners. In fact, in some cases, listeners wearing hearing aids make more localization errors than when they are not wearing hearing aids. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1585

Categorization

Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims

• XREF: Surprising practical consequence — joins the ‘audibility is not enough’ thread from passage 1584, with direct audiology application for fitting decisions.

Related

• Hearing aids cannot restore sound localization but may aid ILD representation. (similarity 0.91)
• Hearing aids cannot restore sound localization because coding damage, not audibility, is the cause (similarity 0.91)
• Hearing aids often worsen rather than improve sound localization. (similarity 0.90)
• Hearing aids distort localization cues and often worsen localization (similarity 0.89)
• Sensorineural hearing loss causes wide variability in sound localization ability (similarity 0.88)
• Sound localization deficits in hearing loss come from neural coding changes, not audibility. (similarity 0.87)
• Restoring audibility does not restore sound localization in hearing loss (similarity 0.86)
• Even enlarged pinna cues leave hearing-impaired localization far below normal (similarity 0.86)
• Oversized-pinna cue simulation barely improves vertical localization for hearing-impaired listeners (similarity 0.84)
• Sensorineural hearing loss impairs binaural cue use more than basic audibility (similarity 0.84)
• Independent compression in each ear distorts binaural localization cues (similarity 0.83)
• Apparent spatial deficits in hearing loss may really be audibility deficits (similarity 0.83)
• Directional hearing aid microphones can degrade sound localization by attenuating lateral sounds (similarity 0.83)
• Hearing aid algorithms distort auditory cues yet still improve speech understanding (similarity 0.83)
• Hearing-impaired subjects localized via pinna frequency shaping, not level differences (similarity 0.83)

Broader Connections

• Hearing aids distort localization cues and often worsen localization #corroborates (0.95)
• Hearing aids cannot restore sound localization but may aid ILD representation. #corroborates (0.90)
• Wirelessly linked hearing aids can preserve binaural localization cues. #qualifies (0.80)
• Sound localization deficits in hearing loss come from neural coding changes, not audibility. #expands (0.75)
• Hearing aids address audibility, recruitment, and noise but not resolution deficits #corroborates (0.75)
• Oversized-pinna cue simulation barely improves vertical localization for hearing-impaired listeners #exemplifies (0.75) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3050
• Hearing-impaired subjects localized via pinna frequency shaping, not level differences #complicates (0.75) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3124