LOCALIZATION ABILITIES OF PERSONAL AUDIO DEVICE USERS

Portable audio devices are frequently used in loud background noises (such as street noise). In such situations, listeners increase volume levels in order to maintain an adequate music-to-noise ratio. This study assessed the preferred listening levels and the ability to detect and spatially localize an environmental sound (a horn honk) while listening to an MP3 player in two background noise conditions (ambient room noise and 70 dBA traffic noise). Participants were 20 normal hearing young adults who regularly used MP3 players to listen to music. Real-ear measures of preferred listening levels and a localization task were conducted in these listening situations with three different headphones as well as in an open ear condition. On average, listeners increased the music levels by 28 dB in the traffic noise (with smaller increases with noise-reducing insert earphones) and had significantly more localization errors in traffic noise regardless of the type of headphones worn.

Name thesis:degree_name

M Sc

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Year dc:date.issued

2008

Author dc:creator

• Malcolmson, Rebecca Jane

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Cheesman, Margaret

• Personal Audio Devices
• Localization
• Prefeπed Listening Levels.

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/20233

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/20233