Sensation level and per-band audiogram equalization are distinct ways to control audibility

Evidence

In the first experiment the target sentences were fixed at either 19.5 dB SL (low SL condition) or 39.5 dB SL (high SL condition) above each participant’s speech reception threshold (SRT) in quiet. To estimate masked thresholds (target-to-masker ratio, TMR, giving 50 % correct), the levels of the two masking sentences were adjusted relative to the level of the target sentences using a one-up/one-down adaptive tracking algorithm. … In the second experiment the spectrum of the target sentences was adjusted on a frequency band-by-band basis to account for differences in the audiogram across participants. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 1726

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies the methodological distinction between sensation level (SL, measured relative to each listener’s SRT) and frequency-band-by-band audibility equalization.