Exam 2: Microphones Flashcards
how does a carbon mic work
sound wave comes in and hits diaphragm
compression of diaphragm pushes carbon balls together creating a positive voltage flow
decompression causes diaphragm to push back out making a negative voltage flow and carbon balls released
the compression and decompression of carbon balls creates a + and - analog electrical signal
what is viscosity
how easy material flows
thickness
high viscosity
stretches aperature of canal
want this for a tight fitting mold
low viscosity
runny
doesn’t change aperature of ear canal
good for earplugs or making deep impressions
what is stress relaxation
ability for ear impression to go back to shape after removal from ear canal
silicone is high stress
what is compression ratio
shrinkage over a 7 day period
low shrinkage is silicone
what is shore value
after cure hardness, stability in the impression box
low shore value is methyl
high is silicone
Describe the importance of stretching the aperture
stretching this area for a well fit earmold
if we do not do this we get an uncomfortable earmold because the skin rubs against the plastic
Define temporal resolution and the auditory processes which support it.
AS ability to detect small time related changes in acoustic stimuli over time
Good auditory temporal resolution processing is needed to understand speech in noise
temporal resolution
gap detection: spoon vs soon, identifies syllables, start or end of words & sentences
phonemic duration: can vs can’t, similar words are differentiated by differences in duration & order
temporal ordering: keep order sounds enter as (boots vs boost)
suprasegmentals: provide us with meaning, patterns of stress, intonation and rhythm
Explain binaural loudness summation. Its suprathreshold benefits and how this benefit supports hearing aid fitting strategies.
improvement in hearing threshold when compared to monaural hearing
+3 at threshold, +6 at 50dB HL, & +9 at 90 dB HL
Results in PT perceiving greater loudness with bilateral devices
Less gain is needed to reach comfortable listening levels
Can fit a PT with less loudness in order for them to hear the words
What does an IP rating indicate? What does a 6/8 IP rating suggest?
what we look at to decide is the device dust and moisture resistance
IP68
Dust light
Protects against long periods of liquid immersion
Describe the cause of the occlusion effect (OE) and associated patient complaints. Describe the degree of LF threshold loss associated with OE concerns
Common complaint is when LF threshold is better than 50dB HL
Voice sounds boomy, hollow, or in a barrel
This is caused by insufficient venting and/or insufficient canal length
Most noticeable w/ vocalizations of ee and oo
Baby jeanie is teeny tiny
Skull transduces LF energy generated by the voice. The bc signal becomes trapped in the canal
Describe two management techniques used to reduce OE
vent size: venting allows LF environmental sounds to travel directly to eardrum without amp
stabalize devie in bony canal: extend end of canal into bony portion to reduce OE vibrations
Describe the impact vent size has on high frequency output
Larger vent = less HF output you get from the HA
When HF output energy increases it can overcome the vent’s inertia and escape the canal through the vent. This creates a feedback loop limiting the gain added to HF signals
Describe the piezoelectric effect and the limits of piezoelectric microphones
what was attached to backplate was a salt crystal and if you create flow of current threw this and twisted it, the twist and bend would create a + and - electrical current flow
*same mic, have salt crystal to replace carbon balls
problem
high temp & humidity would stop the current flow - HA died quickly (>110 deg)
didn’t last long
Be prepared to explain how a microphone transduces an acoustic signal to an analog electric signal
Compare & contrast Electret microphones and MEMS Microphones how do they function? memes vs electric
know differences? why is one better than the other? explain
MEMS: more stable, doesn’t absorb moisture, doesn’t drain bettery due to smaller space bw backplate and diaphragm, stability remains even with harsh environment donditions (-40 to 185 deg)
ECM: less stable due to susceptibility of humidity, moisture, dirt, debri degrading the sensitivity of mic over years, diaphragm can absorb moisture, backplate loses charge at high temps (110), glue breaks down on the diaphragm due to environmental conditions
Define microphone sensitivity
Mic sensitivity (contemporary): ability of the mic to pick up sounds
What input frequency range can a microphone collect?
Sensitive collection from <100 Hz to as high as 15000 Hz
a mic can collect wide range of frequencies than what appears on HA’s final frequency response
true
Differentiate the causes of acoustic noise from the causes of electrical noise.
Anything that causes diaphragm to move will transduce into an electrical signal
Acoustic - gasses & air flowing around us goes into sound port and moves the diaphragm
Electrical - comes from circuits in HA that are after the mic in ha
What is an acceptable intensity of a mics internal noise floor?
Noise floor of best HA mic is ~ 25 dB SPL
Higher noise floor = more noise to PT
what is internal noise floor
This is a measurement of both acoustic and electrical noise
wind noise output is greatest where
in LF (>/= 80dB SPL depending on direction)
reduces wind using acoustic resistance
wind screen over a mic
What is the dynamic range of an analog hearing aid microphone? Of a digital hearing aid microphone?
Analog mic = 115 dB SPL (can collect input signals up to this before input distortion
Digital mic = ONLY 96 dB SPL (anything > results in input distortion)
what is mic dynamic range
loudest & quietist acoustic input a mic can collect & convert to a usable electric signal
what is front end distortion
Front end distortion occurs when sounds picked up by the mic exceeds its dynamic range
A mic can only take so much intensity before distortion occurs
Complaints are due to loud music or the user’s own voice
Why do musicians prefer analog HA’s?
better replicate original signal
they like things loud and as long as it is below 115 it is picked up and nice and clearly replicated
Distortion in analog happens with input
> /= 115 dB SPL (0-115, anything louder sounds distorted)
Distortion in digital mic happens with input
> /= 96 dB SPL (0-96, anything louder sounds distorted)
why do digital hearing aids have a lower microphone dynamic range
range difference b/w analog & digital HA’s
This is due to analog to digital converter (ADC)
Used to transduce an analog electric signal to a digital signal
16 bit ADC supplies a 0-96 dB dynamic range and louder sounds are peak clipped
\
how is front end distortion managed in digital hearing aids
Mic has dynamic range
Analog could be 0-115
Digital to 96 - starts distorting above it
If we shift the range of mic in loud situations you can collect loud sounds without peak clipping but can’t collect soft
If we shift range in soft situations you can collect soft sounds but not loud ones anymore
Move form 16 bit to 19 bit HA in other digital devices allowing_____ dB dynamic range
108
what is the ideal distance for sound collection
w/in 6 ft
what does +10 dB SNR mean
desired signal is 10 dB louder than the undesired signal
ideal listening
what is 0 dB SNR
desired and undesired signals are equally as loud
what is -10 dB SNR
desired speech is -10dB SOFTER than the undesired signal
undesired is 10 louder than undesired
what is ideal signal to noise ratio is for people with normal hearing
+2 SNR
Describe the impact of microphone distance on SNR
SNR becomes poorer as distance bw mic and desired signal increases
Closer to the mic the louder it is over the noise
Improved SNR
Further it is from the mic harder it is to hear over the noise because noise becomes louder
Reduced SNR
what is PT complaint we encounter in regards to mic distance on SNR
cannot hear spouse talking from another room
mic cannot pick up sound ideally
6 ft is furthest is can reach - shaking hands is the closest you should be with ideal amplification
What is the ideal distance for sound collection?
Ideal mic sensitivity w/in 6 ft
what is SNR
difference in volume bw desired and undesired signal
Which frequency range is associated with undesired background noise?
energy of noise is in lfs and a lot of noise that is louder than speech at 250 up to 1500 Hz
speech signal
all energy for intelligibility is in the highs
Complaint of noise comes from amp signals around 1200-1500 Hz and above this not a lot of noise masks speech above this
what is a null
refers to point of max attenuation
where mic stops collecting sound
0 deg azimuth
right in front
center