LINEAR AND COMPRESSION

AMPLIFICATION

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 CONTENT

 Introduction
 Definition of terminologies
 Basic components of hearing aids
 Amplification linear and compression
 Compressors
 Characteristics of a compressor
 Types of compression amplification

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 INTRODUCTION

AMPLIFICATION
The process of increasing the volume of sound ,especially
using an amplifier
In Audiology, the main aim of amplification is to amplify sound
(speech signal) for hearing individuals with hearing loss

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 DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGIES
Input: Input refers to the acoustic signal entering the hearing
aid. The input level is expressed in dBSPL.

Output: Output refers to the amplified signal that is delivered

to the ear. The output level is expressed in dBSPL

Gain: Gain refers to the amount of amplification applied to the

input signal. Specifically, gain is the difference between the
output SPL and the input SPL. Gain is expressed in dB.
Mathematically, Gain = Output – Input 7
 DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGIES cont’d

Dynamic range of hearing: This is the difference between the

softest sound we can perceive (the threshold of hearing) and the
sounds that are loud to the extent of causing pain (threshold of
pain).

Residual dynamic range of hearing: The dynamic range of

hearing remained after hearing loss.

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BASIC COMPONENTS OF HEARING AIDS
Despite the variety available, all hearing aids have some of the
same basic components: a microphone, an amplifier, a
receiver, and a battery.
The microphone picks up the incoming acoustic signal and
converts it to an electrical signal.
The amplifier then magnifies the electrical signal.
the receiver converts the amplified electrical signal back into
an acoustic signal that is delivered to the ear
Finally, the battery provides the power for the circuit.
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BASIC COMPONENTS OF HEARING AIDS
cont’d

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 DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGIES cont’d

Maximum Peak Output (MPO) is the highest possible signal

that a hearing aid is capable of delivering, regardless of the
input level or the gain of the hearing aid.

When the input level and gain exceed the MPO, the hearing aid
is said to be in saturation

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 LINEAR AMPLIFICATION

Is the type of amplification where relationship between input

and output is proportional
So low-intensities sounds are amplified to the same extent as
high-intensity sounds.
For every dB increase in the input, there is a corresponding dB
increase in the output

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 LINEAR HEARING AID PRESCRIPTION

It is most suitable for people with mild to moderate hearing

losses.
Good for flat configuration hearing loss

Most linear hearing Aid prescription recommend that the

overall gain should be approximately half the amount of
hearing loss (half-gain rule).

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 ADVANTAGE

Good for people with profound hearing impairment that want

to perceive environmental sound
The operation is fast and simple
For mild to moderate loss

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 DISADVANTAGE

Not good for children as it can affect speech acquisition

process.
Affect speech especially in noisy environment.

Can cause discomfort or pain or amplification loss.

Not good for specific frequency loss patients(high, low or

medial frequency loss)
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 Differences between linear amplification hearing aid
and sound amplification product
Sound amplification product is intended to amplify
environmental sound for non hearing impaired
consumers(NOT to compensate for hearing impairment).

Linear Amplification Hearing aid amplifies environmental

sounds as well contain filters which makes speech signal more
audible than environmental noise

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 NON-LINEAR AMPLIFICATION

COMPRESSION: Is a feature of some hearing aids which

attempts to change the amount of gain that the amplification
circuits add to the incoming signal to better fit the wearer’s
needs.
Many hearing aids have automatic gain control (AGC)
circuits that are usually employed to “slow down” the rate of
amplification for louder sounds.

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Automatic gain control means that output from the hearing aid
is changed automatically when the input changes.

Compression is a kind of AGC where a certain increase in

input results in a smaller increase in output.

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 COMPRESSION AMPLIFICATION

In compression (non-linear) amplification, different amounts of

gain are applied to soft, moderate and intense sounds

Here, the range of environmental sounds is squeezed to fit

within the reduced dynamic range of the person with
sensorineural hearing loss.

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 COMPRESSION AMPLIFICATION cont’d

Soft sounds are made audible, moderate sounds are

comfortable, while intense sounds are loud without being
uncomfortable.

This is achieved by a device known as a compressor. The

result is that the hearing aid user perceives the world of sounds
in much the same way as a person with normal hearing

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19
 COMPRESSORS

In acoustics, a compressor is a mechanical device that increases

the pressure of air (gas) by reducing its volume.

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPRESSOR

Compression threshold (CT)

 Is defined as the point on the I/O function at which the output

level is 2dB lower than it would be if no compression had
occurred (i.e., if the processing were linear).

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPRESSOR

Threshold knee point (TK).  The point at which the slope

of the I/O function changes.

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPRESSOR

Compression Ratio : It is the ratio of incremental change in

input to the resulting incremental change in output.

Once the input signal is loud enough to activate compression

(i.e., when the input level exceeds the TK), the compression
ratio (CR) determines how much the signal will be compressed.
CR is calculated using the formula:

CR=∆Input/∆output
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 CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPRESSOR

CRs are generally expressed in terms of the number of dB by

which the input must change in order to effect a 1 dB change in
the output.
 For example, a CR of 2:1 indicates that a 2 dB change in input
results in a 1 dB change in output.
NB: compression is applied only above the TK and when the
CR is greater than 1:1

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPRESSOR

Depending on the purpose, a compression system may have

high or low CRs. A high CR, 5.0 or greater, is used to limit the
output of a hearing aid so that it does not exceed the
individual’s loudness discomfort levels.

 On the other hand, a low CR, typically set between 1.0 and
5.0, may be used to improve audibility of the softer components
of speech and/or to restore loudness perception.

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPRESSOR

Attack time (AT): Is the time delay that occurs between the
onset of an input signal loud enough to activate compression
(i.e., input signal exceeds the TK) and the resulting reduction of
gain to its target value.
 Instead of acting instantaneously when the input level rises,
there will be a delay before the hearing aid’s AGC circuit
actually reduces the gain in response to the higher level, called
attack time.

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPRESSOR

Release (or recovery) time (RT): Is the time delay that occurs
between the offset of an input signal sufficiently loud to activate
compression (i.e., input signal falls below the TK) and the
resulting increase of gain to its target value.

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPRESSOR

Depending on the purpose, a compression system may have

fast or slow attack and release times.

The faster the AT, the shorter the duration of the overshoot and
the shorter the period of time that the individual has to listen to
sounds louder than desired.

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  TYPES OF COMPRESSION
AMPLIFICATION
Input-controlled compression (AGC-I): The type of
compression circuitry where the level detector (gain control) is
located before the volume control.
 Here, compression acts on the input to the hearing aid. That is,
once the input exceeds the TK, the compressor is activated and
gain is reduced at the preamplifier.
Therefore, the volume control setting has no impact on the
compression parameters.

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  TYPES OF COMPRESSION
AMPLIFICATION
Level Detector

Microphone Pre-Amplifier Volume Control Output Amplifier Receiver

Figure 2-11

Schematic representation of an input-controlled compression (AGC-1) circuit.

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  TYPES OF COMPRESSION
AMPLIFICATION
Output-controlled compression (AGC-O): In this type of
compression circuitry, the level detector is located after the
volume control and compression acts on the output of the
hearing aid.

That is, the compressor is activated once the output exceeds the
TK.

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  TYPES OF COMPRESSION
AMPLIFICATION
Wide dynamic range compression: A type of compression
circuitry that can provide much greater amplification for low
intensity signals than for medium intensity signals while
providing less or no gain for less intensity signals.

It is used for individuals with a very narrow dynamic range.

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  TYPES OF COMPRESSION
AMPLIFICATION
Multiband compression: A type of compression that uses
independent automatic gain control circuits for each frequency
band within a hearing aid.

It allows variability in the amount of reduced gain across each

frequency range.

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 Linear vs. compression

Fig. 15.2 Input-output (I-O) curves showing (a) linear amplification with saturation and (b) compression amplification. With linear
amplification, each 10 dB increase of input (on the x-axis) results in a 10 dB increase in the output (on the y-axis) until saturation is reached,
where output no longer increases with input. With compression amplification, a 10 dB increase in the input results in less than a 10 dB
increase in output, so the output does not become uncomfortably loud or reach saturation. In frame b, notice how compression (solid line)
causes the I-O curve to be shallower than it would have been with linear amplification (dashed line shown

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Linear vs. compression

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Thank you

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