There is no doubt that directional microphones is one of the major break through s for hearing aids. Since this blog was published, automotive microphones link the hearing aids together (e2e or ear to ear), have evolved to automatically adjust to different environments, without the need to change programs.
Some hearing aids have what’s called an omnidirectional microphones. An omnidirectional microphone will amplify all sounds equally from all directions. In other words it will turn up unwanted background noise to the same level as the speaker’s voice.
In contrast, directional microphones amplify sounds from in front more than sounds from other directions. This means that sounds originating from the direction the listener are clearer.
So as you can see the hearing aid technology in a directional microphone always assumes that what you want to listen to is in front of you. If the speech is in front of the listener and the noise is from a different direction, then compared to an omnidirectional microphone, a directional microphone provides a better signal to noise ratio. (Gives a greater bias of speech compared to the level of ambient noise)
Improving the signal to noise ratio improves speech understanding in noise. Many hearing aids now have both an omnidirectional and a directional microphone. The reason for this is because speech that might want to be heard can often come from other directions than in front of the listener. Usually, the omnidirectional microphone mode is used when in a quiet listening environment, whereas the directional microphone is used in noisy listening situations such as a restaurant.
The microphone mode is typically selected by using a switch or program button. Some hearing aids automatically switch the microphone mode. Adaptive directional microphones will vary the direction of maximum amplification. The direction of amplification is varied by the hearing aid processor. The processor attempts to provide maximum amplification in the direction of the speech signal. One disadvantage is that the background noise can often be speech. This makes it more difficult for the processor to select the required speech signal.
Much research and development of newer technology is constantly being improved and upgraded specifically to combat hearing in noise.
However the best microphone systems available through the best hearing aids today are e2e wireless microphones, where the four microphones present within a pair of hearing aids work in tandem to provide the ultimate experience in background noise.
With the innovation of wireless technology recently, directional microphones can now work in tandem with each other instead of working independently. This now means a more natural and clearer understanding of speech in noise
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