Cochlear Implant Compression Optimization for Music Listening - Maplaw and AGC

Variations in loudness are a fundamental component of the music listening experience. Cochlear implant (CI) processing, including amplitude compression, and a degraded auditory system may further degrade these loudness cues and decrease the enjoyment of music listening. This study aimed to identify optimal CI sound processor compression settings to improve music sound quality for CI users.

Fourteen adult MED-EL CI recipients participated (Experiment #1: n=17 ears; Experiment #2: n=11 ears) in the study. A software application using a modified Comparison Category Rating (CCR) test method allowed participants to compare and rate the sound quality of various CI compression settings while listening to 25 real-world music clips. The two compression settings studied were: 1) Maplaw, which informs audibility and compression of soft level sounds, and 2) Automatic Gain Control (AGC), which applies compression to loud sounds. For each experiment, one compression setting (Maplaw or AGC) was hel...