A method for pre-processing a channelized music signal to improve perception and appreciation for a hearing prosthesis recipient. In one example, the channelized music signal is a stereo input signal. A device, such as a handheld device, hearing prosthesis, or audio cable, for example, applies a mask to a stereo input signal to extract a center-mixed component from the stereo signal and outputs an output signal comprised of a weighted combination of the extracted center-mixed component and a residual signal comprising a non-extracted part of the stereo input signal. The center-mixed component may contain components, such as leading vocals and/or drums, preferred by hearing prosthesis recipients relative to other components, such as backing vocals or other instruments.

A system and method are provided for capturing hearing characteristics from self-administered hearing tests, including loudness tolerance levels at different sound frequencies, as an individualized shaped auditory profile for automatically enhancing audio to complement and address an individual's hearing deficits experienced via a particular signal pathway including the audio device used to administer the test, the sound environment, and the user's hearing capabilities. The user may self-administer a hearing test on a smartphone or other device. The shaped auditory profile may be used to produce enhanced sound subsequently transmitted to the individual via the same signal pathway. In some aspects, the invention is useful for any individual seeking an enhanced hearing experience, whether having hearing within normal range or hearing that is impaired. Manual gain adjustments applied by a user to the enhanced sound thereby produced may result in changes to a stored shaped auditory profile or the generation of a new profile.

The application relates to a binaural hearing assistance system comprising first and second hearing assistance devices adapted for being located at or in left and right ears of a user. The application further relates to a method of operating a binaural hearing assistance system. The object of the present application is to provide an improved binaural hearing assistance system. The problem is solved in that each of the first and second hearing assistance devices comprises a) a first wireless interface comprising first antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a first communication link to the respective other hearing assistance device based on near-field communication; b) a second wireless interface comprising second antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a second communication link to an auxiliary device based on far-field communication; c) a link control unit operatively coupled to the second antenna and transceiver circuitry and configured to repeatedly provide a second link quality measure indicative of a link quality of the second communication link; wherein the first and second hearing assistance devices are configured to exchange said respective second link quality measures between them via said first and/or second communication links. This has the advantage of providing a robust and flexible system. The invention may e.g. be used for binaural hearing assistance systems, e.g. binaural hearing aid systems, where audio quality and power consumption has to be mutually optimized.

The application relates to a binaural hearing assistance system comprising first and second hearing assistance devices adapted for being located at or in left and right ears of a user. The application further relates to a method of operating a binaural hearing assistance system. The object of the present application is to provide an improved binaural hearing assistance system. The problem is solved in that each of the first and second hearing assistance devices comprises a) a first wireless interface comprising first antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a first communication link to the respective other hearing assistance device based on near-field communication; b) a second wireless interface comprising second antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a second communication link to an auxiliary device based on far-field communication; c) a link control unit operatively coupled to the second antenna and transceiver circuitry and configured to repeatedly provide a second link quality measure indicative of a link quality of the second communication link; wherein the first and second hearing assistance devices are configured to exchange said respective second link quality measures between them via said first and/or second communication links. This has the advantage of providing a robust and flexible system. The invention may e.g. be used for binaural hearing assistance systems, e.g. binaural hearing aid systems, where audio quality and power consumption has to be mutually optimized.

A method and a device are provided for modifying audio signals in accordance with hearing capabilities of an individual who is listening to audio signals played by a music player. The method comprises the steps of: providing a music player operative to play audio signals, wherein the music player comprises a processor configured to modify audio signals that are about to be played, by taking into account the hearing capabilities of the individual; providing information that relates to the hearing capabilities of the individual; forwarding the information that relates to the hearing capabilities of the individual, from an electronic device to the music player; and using the music player processor to modify audio signals when the individual is listening to audio signals being played by the music player, wherein the audio signals are modified before they are played by taking into account the individual's hearing capabilities.

The application relates to a binaural hearing assistance system comprising first and second hearing assistance devices adapted for being located at or in left and right ears of a user. The application further relates to a method of operating a binaural hearing assistance system. The object of the present application is to provide an improved binaural hearing assistance system. The problem is solved in that each of the first and second hearing assistance devices comprises a) a first wireless interface comprising first antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a first communication link to the respective other hearing assistance device based on near-field communication; b) a second wireless interface comprising second antenna and transceiver circuitry adapted for establishing a second communication link to an auxiliary device based on far-field communication; c) a link control unit operatively coupled to the second antenna and transceiver circuitry and configured to repeatedly provide a second link quality measure indicative of a link quality of the second communication link; wherein the first and second hearing assistance devices are configured to exchange said respective second link quality measures between them via said first and/or second communication links. This has the advantage of providing a robust and flexible system. The invention may e.g. be used for binaural hearing assistance systems, e.g. binaural hearing aid systems, where audio quality and power consumption has to be mutually optimized.

A method for presenting to a user of a wearable audio device a modified audio scene together with additional information related to the audio scene, comprising: capturing audio signals with a plurality of microphones; outputting an audio signal with a plurality of acoustical transducers; processing the captured audio signals, the processing comprising filtering, equalization, echoes processing and/or beamforming; separating audio sources from the processed audio signals; selecting at least one separated audio source; classifying at least one said selected audio source; retrieving additional information related to the classified audio source; presenting the additional information to the user.

The invention is prosthetic hearing aid designed to assist and enrich the lives of people who are hearing impaired or have experienced a total loss of hearing by allowing them to hear or understand what is spoken to them. The invention consists of a frame assembly having left and right temples and a front, a lens assembly secured to the fame assembly, a set of microphones attached to the frame assembly, capable of detecting the sound of the spoken word, a television camera system attached to the frame assembly, that is able to track lip movement, a semi transparent viewing screen and a CPU microprocessor and appropriate electronic software coding in order to convert both the audio as well as the lip movement of the spoken word into text and also change the frequency of the spoken word.

A hearing assistance system streams audio signals from one or more streaming sources to a hearing aid set and enhances the audio signals such that the output sounds transmitted to the hearing aid wearer include a spatialization effect allowing for localization of each of the one more streaming sources. The system determines the position of the hearing aid set relative to each streaming source in real time and introduces the spatialization effect for that streaming source dynamically based on the determined position, such that the hearing aid wearer can experience a natural feeing of the acoustic environment.

A system and method are provided for automatic fitting of all audio signals according to the ear in which a user is using to receive audio signals from a host device. The host device incorporates an audio signal fitting device, which may comprise an inquirer configured to query the host device for an in-use audio producing transducer; an electronic mechanism configured to identify an ear which a user is using to receive audio signals from a host device, based on the in-use audio producing transducer; and a notifier configured to instruct the host device, based on the identified ear, to output a channel of audio signals to the in-use audio producing transducer. The ear in use may be deduced from inertial data. The instructions may specify a particular channel of audio signals, or enhancement thereof to adjust for characteristics of the identified ear, for example by applying frequency-specific gain adjustments to adjust for frequency response characteristics of the identified ear, and/or to adjust for a detected or typical signal pathway used to transmit a signal to the identified ear.