Individual Listener Preference for Strength of Single-Microphone Noise-Reduction; Trade-off Between Noise Tolerance and Signal Distortion Tolerance

There are large interindividual variations in preference for strength of noise-reduction (NR). It is hypothesized that each individual's tolerance for background noise on one hand and signal distortions on the other hand form this preference. We aim to visualize and analyze this so-called trade-off between noise attenuation and signal quality. Dutch sentences in stationary background noise were processed with different NR strengths. We used an NR algorithm that allows us to separate the positive effects of NR (noise attenuation) from the negative effects (signal distortion). Stimuli consisted of speech in noise with different degrees of (1) background noise, (2) signal distortions, or (3) both (i.e., realistic NR at different NR strengths). With pairwise comparisons, participants chose which stimulus they preferred for prolonged listening. Twelve listeners with mild to moderate hearing loss participated in the study. For all participants, a trade-off between noise attenuation and signal quality was found and visualized. The strength of preference was estimated with the Bradley–Terry–Luce choice model and was different for all individuals but in the same order of magnitude for distortion effects and noise effects. Strength of preference of realistic NR was smaller by a factor of ten. This study used a unique setup to capture the individual trade-off between noise attenuation and signal quality in NR. Disturbance from signal distortions is as important as disturbance from background noise for determining preference for NR strength. Individual listeners differ in their sensitivity to both factors and as a consequence in their preferred NR strength.