![]() Yoke and earmold designations are indicated in Figure 1. The measured response is in the light gray color. Response comparisons for 3” and 10” for the high-frequency programmed response are shown in red. Response comparisons for 3” and 10” of tubing for the flat programmed response are shown in blue. ![]() Measured responses for a sampling of the different devices commonly used to listen to hearing aids by hearing professionals. Suffice it to say that none of the measured results as measured through the listening devices evaluated here is close to the 2cc coupler measurements. The graphs are self-explanatory, and as a result, there is no need to explain each of the graphs separately. (Figure 4c).Ĭomparisons of measured response results for the 3” and 10” tubing for the flat and high-frequency responses are shown in Figure 6. For the earmold connection, the earmold was putty-sealed to the 2cc coupler. The other ear tube was sealed (Figure 5). Measurement was made using a Frye Electronics 8000 Hearing Aid Analyzer, with one of the listening yoke’s ear tubes putty-sealed to a 2cc coupler. The length of the tube connecting the hearing aid to the listening yoke or to an earmold was adjusted to meet the measurement length required for the comparison. One of the ear tips was sealed to the 2cc coupler, while the other was plugged. Setup in a hearing aid analyzer test box for measurement of listening tube performance. Tubing lengths of 3 and 10 inches were attached to the yokes and earmold using a snap-in B adapter.įigure 5. Three different listening yoke brands and one earmold were connected to a hearing aid (as shown in Figure 1) with different lengths of tubing connecting the yoke or earmold to the hearing aid. To determine what is being delivered through such listening devices, this author decided to conduct a short test. The question is, what do they think they are listening to? Still, such listening devices continue to be used daily, by perhaps several thousand hearing professionals. It has been known for years that tubing length, internal diameter, wall thickness, and connections affect the hearing aid response. The tips at the bottom are used to determine the inside diameter (ID) of the tubing based on the tip size the tubing fits over without extending the tubing ID.Īnyone skilled in the art would know that what they hear through such attachments to the hearing aid does not represent the performance of the hearing aid. The holes at the top are used to determine the outside diameter (OD) of the tubing based on the size hole the tubing fits. Tubing IDs were measured using the tubing guide in Figure 2, except for those larger than 2.39 mm, where a caliper was used.įigure 2. It should be noted that the yoke listening systems have, in fact, a much longer listening tube system because of the added length of the yoke arms. ![]() For this study, two lengths were used: 1) 3” (76.2 mm) and 2) 10” (254 mm). The length of the tube connecting the hearing aid to the listening device also varies. This generally goes to a single ear.ĭifferences exist between the systems relative to yoke arm inside diameters (ID) and the diameter of tubing connecting the yoke to the hearing aid as shown in Table I. Listening system (D) consists of a hearing aid connected by a tubing length to a personal earmold to the ear of the listener. ![]() The hearing aid is connected to a flexible tube attached to the yoke where the two arms meet. (A), (B), and (C) are yokes with arms that go to each ear. Sample systems used for listening to hearing aids by hearing professionals. ![]()
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