Doing Speech Audiometry using the AD528

Hello, and welcome to this introduction to how to get started, using the AD528 doing speech audiometry.

The device itself has a built in speaker, and a built in microphone, that we can use to monitor, what is coming back from the booth, if we use the device together with a booth and a setup.

When we do speech audiometry, in particular if we do microphone speech audiometry, we need a monitor headset like this one here, so that when we set the level of the speaker, we get a more accurate level, because it is closer to the speaker.

So the device can be used in speech audiometry, together with a monitor headset, or the speaker and built in microphone.

When you get the device, it is ready for you to get started, and the material is present, either as wave files or as an external input, that you can put in, or you can use a microphone to do speech audiometry.

If you are in a country where speech material is present as wave files, they will be present on the device, so you are ready to get started, when you receive the device.

On the device you can change between these modes, also wave files, microphone and an external input.

You may have some material recorded, and some that may not be.

You change between your material, by long pressing on the Speech test, and two bars will then appear for Channel One and Channel Two respectively.

You can change from Wave to AUX, and AUX2 on the other channel.

Or the microphone underneath there.

If you use a microphone or AUX the first time you use your device, you need to calibrate the level of the output.

That is done by long pressing here on Speech, while you are in the mike or AUX, together with the Shift key.

And you then have an overview of the channels, and calibrate in accordance with the level, so you have an accurate level of the output that you send to the patient.

You need to do this the first time, that you set up the device, with the microphone, and the monitor headset that you use.

I will now show you how to get started, when all of this is set up and how to use your speech audiometry.

In this example I will use the wave files to show some of the functionality it has.

Because when the material is built into the device, there are more things we can do with the material, while doing the speech audiometry.

Up here we have the five function keys.

We have the start key.

We can press "Start", which will take us into the running mode.

So our speech test is now running, and the patient will hear the sounds being presented.

We can see the words that are currently being presented to the patient.

We can hear them on the speaker, or on the monitor headset.

Right now the monitor headset is connected, so I can hear the tones, and the speech being presented through the monitor headset and see if that is correct or incorrect.

I can then use the "Correct" or "Incorrect" key, to store the results "Correct" or "Incorrect", or I can set up the device to run it automatically, which is what it is doing now.

So after a set period of time,  in this instance it's two seconds, it will store it as "Correct", and jump to the next word.

That is what we do during the test to collect our results.

What we may want to do, when the result is finalized, is to store the result, which is done here.

In case something was obtained incorrectly, or we need to edit something for the score, we have put in the opportunity to edit the score here, so you can change the score, if you press "Correct" or "Incorrect" - in the wrong way.

So that is available, as the first function key that we have.

In addition to that, you can change your measurement type.

Right now it's set for the "SRT". - The Speech Recognition Threshold.

That can be changed to the Word Recognition.

Where we have "Word Recognition" one, two and three.

The reason we have three different ones, is that when you have set the "WR1", it is linked to a certain type of material, - in this instance words, that are then linked to the list, that goes with that particular material.

So when you change from "SRT" to "WR1", to "WR2" it automatically changes the type, and the list of material accordingly.

The "Condition" key can be used, when you are in Free Field, for setting the "Aided" Condition.

You can use it "Binaural", so that you present on both ears, or you can do it where it is both "Aided" and "Binaural".

They are the function keys, that we have on the device.

In addition, there are a few functions, that I want to point out, that can be beneficial to use, during speech audiometry.

Right now we have the "Table Mode" activated, so we see everything in a table, so when I press "Store" it appears in a table here.

Instead, we can also go into our speech settings and say I would prefer to see that in "Graph Mode".

We then have all of our speech material presented in a "Graph Mode".

That is dependent on which user you are, whether you prefer a "Table Mode" or a "Graph Mode".

It can be changed as you wish to present it.

An additional feature that I want to point out that can be a benefit to you, is if you're in a country, where English is the main language, but you have an additional language, that you want to use, - it could be Spanish for instance, - you can then press "Shift" + "List", and if you then have a Spanish material on the device, it will appear for you to choose from the main screen.

In case you are interested in knowing more about how to perform speech audiometry, we have some "Quick Guides" available on Interacoustics website.

They take you - step by step - through the process of doing speech audiometry.

Thank you for listening to this introduction. I hope it was helpful to you.