Optimization of Perceived Sound Quality for Music Listening in Hearing Aid Users With Hearing Loss.

N/ANot Yet RecruitingNCT07677748

Institut Pasteur66 enrolled

Overview

This study aims to optimize music listening quality for 66 hearing aid users (33 musicians and 33 non-musician music enthusiasts) by developing a dedicated "Music Program" based on individual frequency preference profiles. We will evaluate the program's efficacy by comparing listening quality and emotional response scores against standard settings, while also investigating correlations with music reward sensitivity. We hypothesize that the customized program will yield significant improvements, with a more pronounced benefit observed in the musician group.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Hearing Impaired (Partially)

Interventions

Musical listening quality preference testOTHER

Preference test to determine their Preferred Frequency Profile (PFP). The gain characteristics of the PFP will be added to the hearing aids' Main Program, thereby creating a dedicated Music Program.

Eligibility

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: For all participants: * Aged 18 years or older, * Fitted with hearing aids for at least 6 months, * Reporting dissatisfaction with music listening while using their hearing aids. For musician participants: • Defined as instrumentalists or knowledgeable music enthusiasts engaging in daily music practice for a minimum of 4 hours. For non-musician participants: • Defined as individuals without formal musical training who listen to music for at least one hour per day Exclusion Criteria: * Asymmetric hearing loss (pure-tone audiometry showing a difference between the two ears \> 15 dB) * Irregular use of hearing aids: \< 4 hours per day

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Comparison of scores obtained using the Davies-Venn validated quality ranking questionnaire between the Main Program and the Music Program.

scale from 0 (bad listening quality) to 10 (best listening quality)

Time frame: for 4 months

Secondary Outcomes

Comparison of listening improvement scores on the Davies-Venn validated quality ranking questionnaire between hearing aid users categorized as "musicians" and "non-musicians."

scale from 0 (bad listening quality) to 10 (best listening quality)

Time frame: for 4 months

Comparison of Filtering Patterns (PFP) obtained during the preference test between Session 1 and Session 2 for the same musical excerpt.

Time frame: for 4 months

Comparison of Filtering Patterns across two musical excerpts of different styles.

Time frame: Day 2

Comparison of scores on the Davies-Venn validated quality ranking questionnaire between two musical excerpts of different styles.

scale from 0 (bad listening quality) to 10 (best listening quality)

Time frame: Day 2

Determination of a correlation between the improvement associated with the Music Program and Barcelona Music Reward Questionnaire (BMRQ) scores, analyzed separately for musicians and non-musicians.

Time frame: for 4 months

Comparison of emotional listening quality scores between the Main Program and the Music Program.

Time frame: for 4 months