Introduction & History of Amp Flashcards
what is the device that we fit
Rx HAs
do we fit direct consumer devices?
no
what are the FDA approved devices
Rx HAs
self fitting OTC
pre set OTC
what are fda not approved devices
PSAPS
Hearables (airpods)
consumer audio devices
what is coupling
earmold or dome
how we couple device to the ear
guts of the HA
signal processing
audiologic rehabilitation in regards to HAs
HAs are one option/solution that is under the full umbrella term
what is input
The intensity of the acoustic signal entering the device
sounds coming into the ear from the environment
May appear as dB values or as loudness descriptor in programming software
input
what is gain
amount of amp added to the input signal
what we are adding to the HA
soft input
50dB
moderate input
65dB
loud input
80db
What is the additional amp I am adding to the input in order to increase signal to the PT to make it more audible
gain
what is output
intensity of signal that is delivered into the ear canal
sounds coming into the ear + (what I add to the ear to the input intensity)
output
Ex: if soft is 50dB and we add 17 at around 3300 Hz, output signal?
output = 67dB
applying different amounts of gain based on
on input level and based on frequency
if the sound in the ear is 60 and we add 10 gain then output arriving to the tm?
70
Hearing level (HL) only used in
audio testing
why do we use HL for testing? why are audios in hl?
Easier to explain to the PT that the closer to 0 their hearing is the better
Took SPL values and made graphic info easier to explain to PT and this is why it s for testing only and nothing else
always a larger number
spl
Audiometric data is converted from ____ to____ before amp is fit
HL to SPL
what is the conversion from hl to spl based on
avg adult ear
are all ears the same? why is this important
no
important to recall when fitting devices
why when fitting HA’s can the avg conversion data cause issues
because not everyone is the same
Based on men and measuring SPL and creating an avg conversion factor for the avg adult male
what is the acoustic horn principle
the intensity of an acoustic signal changes as it travels through a horn
horns amplify sounds when waves are reflected into a narrower area
explain how the horn changes an acoustic signal
increase the SPL that reaches the ear
increase sound directionality
cause sound distortion
all frequencies are equally amplified (cannot control low vs highs that are ampd)
Increased horn length =
SPL increase energy to the ™
The length of a horn’s opening determines
final output intensity and which frequencies are amplified