Verification of EasyGain Settings in the Roger Remote Microphone System

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate how the EasyGain settings on a wireless receiver used with a remote microphone (RM) affected output as a function of hearing loss and receiver type. Method: To assess the effects of the EasyGain setting on a Roger receiver, a Phonak Naida V90 superpower hearing aid (HA), two universal Roger X (02) receivers, two Roger 18 integrated receivers, and a Roger Inspiro transmitter were used. An electroacoustic evaluation was performed for five degrees of hearing loss ranging from a flat 40 to 80 dB HL, and for nine EasyGain settings from +8 to −8 dB with each Roger receiver. Results: A three-way analysis of variance indicated significant main effects of hearing loss, receiver type and EasyGain settings, as well as their two-way interactions ( p < .05). Overall, the output of the integrated receiver was 2.77 dB higher than that of the universal receiver. The change in output with 2-dB changes in EasyGain setting varied with the degree of hearing loss. For mild hearing loss (40 and 50 dB), every 2-dB change in EasyGain produced an average of 1.93 dB ( SD = 0.17) change in the root-mean-square (RMS) output. For the higher degrees of hearing loss (60, 70, and 80 dB HL), the change in RMS varied depending on the range of EasyGain setting as follows: when EasyGain was > 0 dB, every 2-dB change in EasyGain setting produced an average change in RMS output of 1.32 dB ( SD = 0.41); however, when EasyGain was ≤ 0 dB, every 2-dB change resulted in a mean 1.95 dB ( SD = 0.16) change. Conclusions: The benefits of EasyGain technology on the RMS output are dependent on the interaction of the receiver type, degree of hearing loss, and EasyGain settings. The results highlight the importance of electroacoustic verification to determine appropriate settings for optimal audibility when using an RM system.