An audiometer is an instrument used to measure how well a person hears.

The ear is a
complex organ. It receives sound in the form of vibrations that strike the eardrum. These
vibrations move from the eardrum through the bones of the middle ear to the cochlea (a
spiral-shaped organ filled with fluid). The vibration sets the fluid in motion and sensory cells
along the cochlea's basilar (at the bottom or base of) membrane (a thin covering through
which things can pass) send messages of the sound to the brain.

The brain distinguishes many distinct sounds. Pitch

Audiometers test hearing by exposing patients to a range of sounds at different pitches and
decibel levels.
music. Sounds of over 140 decibels, such as those made by a jet aircraft, can damage hearing.

The Audiometer Test

An audiometer consists of four parts. These parts are the oscillator (used to change the
frequency of sounds heard), an audio amplifier, an attenuator (used to control volume
loudness), and a pair of headphones. The person being tested wears the headphones. The
amplitude of a tone is slowly increased until the person hears the sound. The lowest decibel
level at which a sound is heard is called the threshold. The oscillator is used to change pitch
so a range of sounds can be tested. When manufacturing audiometers and performing
audiometer testing, care is taken to eliminate background noise.

The result of a hearing test using an audiometer is called an audiogram. The audiogram is a
graph that shows the lowest decibel level at which each frequency is heard. The graph gives a
profile of the person's threshold of hearing. It compares the profile to a line representing
normal hearing in order to detect hearing loss. Using the audiometer, frequency is varied
from 64 hertz to over 8,000 hertz. Amplitude can be varied in five decibel increments. In
addition to pure tones, speech sounds are sometimes used as test signals. Hearing is
considered good if every tone sounded between 64 and 8,192 hertz is heard at a volume of 20
decibels. Hearing loss is generally greatest at the high frequencies. This seems to occur in
many people over fifty.

Békésy's Invention

The pure-tone audiometer was invented by Georg von Békésy (1899-1972; winner of the
Nobel Prize), a Hungarian-American physicist. His machine was a patient-operated
instrument released in 1946. Békésy studied the transmission of sound for a Hungarian
telephone company. The testing the telephone lines was routinely carried out and often done
with pure tones (tones of one frequency). Bekesy listened to everything he heard over the
telephone lines—he even listened to the clicks when phones were being connected and
disconnected! He started using the clicks as test signals. The clicks themselves were a
combination of many pure tones that came along the telephone lines in a single short pulse.
Bekesy's early experiences helped him study hearing in great detail and arrive at his
audiometer design.

User Contributions:

1
alkabhati

Feb 5, 2010 @ 12:00 am

An audiometer consists of four parts. These parts are the oscillator (used to change the frequency of
sounds heard), an audio amplifier, an attenuator (used to control volume loudness), and a pair of
headphones. The person being tested wears the headphones. The amplitude of a tone is slowly
increased until the person hears the sound. The lowest decibel level at which a sound is heard is called
the threshold. The oscillator is used to change pitch so a range of sounds can be tested. When
manufacturing audiometers and performing audiometer testing, care is taken to eliminate background
noise. 

The result of a hearing test using an audiometer is called an audiogram. The audiogram is a graph that
shows the lowest decibel level at which each frequency is heard. The graph gives a profile of the
person's threshold of hearing. It compares the profile to a line representing normal hearing in order to
detect hearing loss. Using the audiometer, frequency is varied from 64 hertz to over 8,000 hertz.
Amplitude can be varied in five decibel increments. In addition to pure tones, speech sounds are
sometimes used as test signals. Hearing is considered good if every tone sounded between 64 and
8,192 hertz is heard at a volume of 20 decibels. Hearing loss is generally greatest at the high
frequencies. This seems to occur in many people over fifty.

AC 40

Channels Two independent channels

Talk Back Microphone input

Monitor Built-in speaker or external loudspeaker

Special tests Auto Threshold. ABLB. SISI. Stenger

System FFAC33 Built-in 2x12W amplifi er APDAC33 and two ALS7 speakers. 95dB SPL. (Optional)

System FF ext External 2x70W amplifi er, AP70, and two ALS7 speakers. 105dB SPL. (Optional)

Computer communication Built-in RS232C two way computer interface which allows the computer to both monitor and control
the AC33

Dimensions (LxWxH) 48x40x15 cm / 19x16x6 inches

Weight 9 kg / 20lbs

Power AC 50-60 Hz. 100-120 V, 200-240 V

Consumption Max. 140 VA

Standards Audiometer: IEC 60645 -1, IEC 60645-2, ANSI S3.6, Type 2.
Speech: IEC 60645-2/ANSI S3.6 type A or A-E.
Safety: IEC 60601-1, Class I, Type B.
EMC: IEC 60601-1-2

Medical CE-mark Yes

Included parts TDH39 Audiometric headset

B71 Bone conductor
Goose-neck electret microphone
APS3 Patient response button
Power cable
Dust cover
200 AF12 Audiogram charts, Pen set
Operation manual CD
Multilingual CE instructions for use

Optional parts AP70 2x70 watt external power amplifier

ALS7 FF loudspeaker ( AP70 )
AFC8 Sound cabin installation panel
EM400 Electret microphone for talk back
21925 Audiocup enclosures
50250 Peltor noise reducing headset
CIR22 Insert earphone for masking and monitoring
EAR-Tone 5A Insert phones
MTH400 Monitor headset
MTH400M Monitor headset with boom mic.
IFC5/IFC39 RS232C Computer connection cables
OtoAccess™ Database and diagnostic modules software
IA-NOAH-Aud software

Options APD-AC33 Built-in 2x12 watt power amplifier for FF

Channel 1 Input: Tone, Microphone, Tape/CD 1+2. Output: Left, Right, Bone L+R, Free Field 1+2, Insert phones

Channel 2 Input: Tone, Microphone, Tape/CD, 1+2, NB, SN, BB. Output: Left, Right, Bone, Free Field 1+2, Insert
phones, Insert masking, Off

Tone Stimuli Manual, continuous, single pulse, pulsing

Speech Live, Tape or CD

Intensity AC: -10 to 120 dB HL in 1 or 5dB steps. BC: -10 to 80 dB in 1 or 5 dB steps

Frequency Range 125Hz to 8kHz, Warble 5 Hz ±5%

Talk forward 0-110 dB SPL