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Beyond the Beep: What Speech Audiometry Reveals About How You Really Hear - by Acoustik Hearing

Hearing a sound and understanding what someone is saying are different things. Many people detect that someone is speaking, yet still struggle to catch the words — especially in noise or on the phone. This is exactly what Speech Audiometry measures.

What Is Speech Audiometry?

It uses actual spoken words, not beeps, to assess a person's ability to detect and understand speech. It includes SRT (Speech Reception Threshold), SDS (Speech Discrimination Score), and in select cases, SAL (Speech Awareness Level) testing.

Test Specifications

Duration: 15–30 min
Equipment: Calibrated audiometer, headphones, recorded/live word lists, bone vibrator (for SAL)
Preparation: Clear ear canal (checked via otoscopy)
Setting: Sound-treated room or quiet home environment
Age Group: Children through seniors

Procedure of the Test

SAL : also widely known as the Speech Detection Threshold (SDT)—is the lowest hearing level at which a person can barely detect the presence of a speech signal.It does not require the person to understand what is being said, only to recognize that someone is talking.
SRT: Two-syllable words (e.g., "baseball") presented at decreasing volume until correctly identified about half the time.
SDS: Single-syllable words presented above SRT level; patient repeats each word back.Percentage of correctly identified words calculated, per ear.
Results recorded and explained to the patient.

Why Is the Test Done?

Confirms and refines pure tone audiometry results
Assesses real-world understanding of conversational speech
Guides hearing aid selection and programming
Helps differentiate the type and site of hearing loss (with SAL)
Monitors progress during treatment or hearing aid rehabilitation
Supports occupational or medico-legal documentation

What Will the Result Show?

SRT value — softest level at which speech becomes meaningful
SDS percentage — clarity of understanding at comfortable volume, per ear
Consistency (or mismatch) between SRT and pure tone results
An indication of expected hearing aid benefit

Interpretation

Normal: "SRT agrees with pure tone average; SDS 90–100%, indicating excellent speech clarity. No significant communication difficulty expected."
Mild-Moderate Reduction: "SDS 70–89%, indicating mild-to-moderate reduction in clarity. Hearing aid likely to provide good, though not complete, improvement."
Poor Discrimination: "SDS below 60%, disproportionate to pure tone thresholds. Further evaluation recommended; hearing aid benefit may be limited, auditory training may be advised."
SRT-PTA Mismatch: "SRT does not agree with pure tone average — retesting recommended to confirm reliability of thresholds."

Book your pure tone audiometry and hearing aid trial at home, or visit our clinic for speech audiometry testing — with Acoustik Hearing and Speech Clinic, serving @Mumbai, @Navi Mumbai, and @Thane.

#SpeechAudiometry #SRT #SDS #SAL #WordRecognitionScore #HearingHealth #AcoustikHearingAndSpeechClinic #HomeVisitHearingCare #HearingAidsMumbai #NaviMumbaiHealthcare #ThaneHealthcare #HearingAidCounselling #SeniorCareAtHome #AudiologyIndia #HearYourBest #MumbaiHearingClinic

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