Utilizing True Wireless Stereo Earbuds in Automated Pure-Tone Audiometry

• Published in: Trends in hearing Vol. 25; p. 23312165211057367
• Main Authors: Guo, Zhenyu, Yu, Guangzheng, Zhou, Huali, Wang, Xianren, Lu, Yigang, Meng, Qinglin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 2021; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Audiometry; Ears & hearing; Hearing loss; Original; Wireless audio equipment; automated audiometry; calibration; hearing loss
• ISSN: 2331-2165; 2331-2165
• DOI: 10.1177/23312165211057367

True wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds have become popular and widespread in recent years, and numerous automated pure-tone audiometer applications have been developed for portable devices. However, most of these applications require specifically designed earphones to which the public may not have access. Therefore, the present study investigates the accuracy of automated pure-tone audiometry based on TWS earbuds (Honor FlyPods). The procedure for developing an automated pure-tone audiometer is reported. Calibration of the TWS earbuds was accomplished by electroacoustic measurements and establishing corrected reference equivalent threshold sound pressure levels. The developed audiometer was then compared with a clinical audiometer using 20 hearing-impaired participants. The average signed and absolute deviations between hearing thresholds measured using the two audiometers were 3.1 dB and 6.7 dB, respectively. The overall accuracy rate in determining the presence/absence of hearing loss was 81%. The results show that the proposed procedure for an automated air-conduction audiometer based on TWS earbuds is feasible, and the system gives accurate hearing level estimation using the reported calibration framework.