Effect of hearing aids on the externalization of everyday sounds

This study examined the influence of stimulus properties on sound externalization when listening with hearing aids. Normally hearing listeners were presented with broadband “tokens” (environmental sounds and speech) from loudspeakers, and rated externalization using a continuous scale. In separate blocks, they listened unaided or while wearing behind-the-ear hearing aids with closed domes and low gain (linear or compressive). There was a significant influence of token on ratings, even for unaided listening, and the effect of hearing aids depended on token. An acoustic analysis indicated that hearing aids were more likely to disrupt externalization for peakier sounds with a low-frequency emphasis.