The methodology described to analyze stethoscope outputs appears to be an effective starting point for evaluating various characteristics of stethoscopes with a lens toward assisting health professionals and students working in less-than-ideal listening situations or for those with hearing loss. While all electronic stethoscopes evaluated offered amplification, there was great variability in amplitude-frequency responses, which may help inform stethoscope selection based on listening needs, various listening environments, and/or degree and configuration of hearing loss.
Atcherson et al. (Wed,) studied this question.