"The OpenEarConcept© adapts acoustic signals to the unique features of hearing aid technology"

REHACARE.com asked music educator and audio engineer Frank von Häfen about the project and found out how acoustic inclusion can work.

Mr. von Häfen, the current radio ad for the REHACARE trade fair features the new OpenEarConcept© technology. What exactly is behind this technology?

Frank von Häfen: The OpenEarConcept© research group has focused on the desire hearing aid users (cochlear implants and hearing aid devices) expressed in being able to enjoy music and better understand different media formats and a rapidly changing audiovisual world. By collaborating with these patients, a filter cascade was developed during a two-year testing phase, which became the OpenEarConcept© after the research was completed. This method involves a targeted adaptation of the acoustic signals to the specifications and unique features of the hearing aid technology. The filters alter the different basic tonal conditions, thus achieving greater identification of the central sound signal.

What are the benefits of the OpenEarConcept© for hearing aid users?

von Häfen: The OpenEarConcept© offers hearing aid users a reduced spectrum of sound information, as well as an accentuation of key sounds. This combination enhances the perception of linguistic and musical content without distorting the overall sound beyond recognition. What’s interesting in this case is that – without the benefit of direct comparison- people who don’t use hearing aids barely noticed that the sound had been altered. We were astonished by the outcome of a musical performance at the Theater Koblenz: even those audience members with "normal" hearing, who had repeatedly seen the musical, noted an improvement in speech intelligibility and considered the reduced sound volume as quite pleasant.

How were members of the target audience involved in this development?

von Häfen: The OpenEar team had access to a large number of test subjects. In addition to the live tests and workshops, more than 50 cochlear implant users joined us at the sound laboratory and were able to give us crucial indications of sound improvements. Thanks to the support of cochlear implant and hearing aid users, the filter cascade was extended to live concert settings and has since been used in numerous professional performances. Joint listening experiences were implemented at the Theater Koblenz, the Rhein-Mosel-Hall, and even more intimate venues like chamber music halls or several auditoriums.

What does inclusion mean to you?

von Häfen: For us, meaningful inclusion means building an integrative foundation for a shared experience. Next to the many more or less successful concepts of inclusion, our top priority at OpenEarConcept© is acoustic inclusion, which we have achieved through various applications. In 2016, thanks to famous singer Kathy Kelly and cabaret performer Konrad Beikircher, the Rhein-Mosel-Halle in Koblenz was able to present a "Lyrical Christmas concert" for families, where people with normal hearing and hearing aid users were able to sit next to each other without the need for induction loops or special seating arrangements in the auditorium. For us, it marked a powerful acknowledgment of our work to hear the audience sing along during some songs, regardless of whether people were using hearing aids or not.

Right now we are in the process of expanding and adapting the technology to different devices or media platforms. We are confident that we will be able to achieve great things in this area for cochlear implant and hearing aid users in the near future.