Headphones

Background ambient noise is a constant concern with hearing testing. The only surefire way around the issue is to use a soundbooth, but the concept of "boothless audiometry" is the next best thing! First, we need to separate out the worry of "audible" background sound and "interfering" background sound. The individual may be distracted by anything they can hear during the test, but background sound is really interfering with the test tones when it exceeds certain limits. The Soundtrace audiometer is designed to pause the test if decibel levels reach these technical limits (66.1dB or higher).

The headphones provided to you by Soundtrace are top-of-the-line, DD65v2 Circumaural Headset. These are standard audiometric headphones used in diagnostic Audiologic offices, and typically deployed for boothless audiometry due to their superior sound attenuation qualities. They provide a snug fit, are good for ambient noise isolation and capable of full range testing. In fact, their attenuation exceeds most earmuff-style hearing protection devices.

Learn more about the DD65 headphones here.

A common question asked is if Audiometric testing can be performed with active noise-cancelling headphones (of the type used in Apple Airpods, Bose consumer headsets, etc). Unfortunately, this is not an option because it would pose a challenge to accurately specify levels across various frequencies while also managing unpredictable levels and frequencies of background noise.

Our advice is to 1) minimize background sounds during testing by turning off or down HVAC systems and notifying neighboring offices and spaces of the need for relative quiet during testing, and 2) notify the worker that there may be some audible sounds during testing, but to maintain their attention on the test tones. Remind the worker that the test will automatically pause if the sounds get too loud to continue, so they should try to avoid being distracted by any non-test sounds they hear.