Binaural Listening Exam 2

Reduction of the head-shadow effect

The head can attenuate speech sounds in the high frequencies by 10 to 15 dB.  Binaural hearing minimizes this effect.

Loudness summation

Input from two ears results in an advantage at threshold of about 3dB.  At supra-threshold levels, however, this advantage can be as large as 6-10dB.

Improved speech intelligibility in noise

Sometimes referred to as “binaural squelch”; when inputs from two ears are present for comparison, the central auditory system can squelch the noise to some extent.  This usually results in a 2-3 dB improvement in signal to noise ratio for speech.

Sound localization

 binaural listening is most critical for localizing in the horizontal plane:  interaural cues for time, phase, intensity and spectrum can assist with localization. Hearing loss in one ear impairs localization ability.

Improved sound quality

Input from two ears, when balanced, is perceived across the head rather than “at the ear”.  There is a greater “fullness” to the sound, and input is perceived as less distorted. 

Spatial balance

There is an increased precision in auditory orientation for complex acoustic environments when input is obtained from both ears.