A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF SPEECH AUDIOMETRY USING TAPE AND COMPACT DISC RECORDINGS OF SPEECH MATERIAL

We compared the results of speech audiometry, performed with recorded tape and compact disc recordings (CD), respectively, in 21 subjects wi th bone-conduction hearing losses CHL and 27 subjects with sensorineur al hearing losses. In all cases, speech audiometry was performed by us ing the 1969 Freiburg speech test material based on the German DIN sta ndard 45626. In subjects with air-bone gaps, the hearing loss for spee ch was 2.3 dB smaller if tested by use of CD and speech recognition wa s 10.5 points better. Smaller differences could be found in sensorineu ral HL. For CD, hearing losses were 1.2 dB smaller and speech recognit ion scores were increased by only 1 point. These differences were not statistically significant. These findings show that calculations of he aring impairments and individual hearing handicaps from tables commonl y used in Germany in medicolegal expert evaluations should not be chan ged if CD records are used that are based on 1969 DIN 4526 recordings. However, the handling of compact discs has many advantages in relatio n to the handling of tapes.