WSA’s Sound Preference: Why Hearing Aid Sound Personalization Matters

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A second pilot study integrated the Sound Preference tool into the workflow, typically with front-office staff introducing it before the appointment and the hearing care professional addressing the results during fitting. Here again, WSA emphasized that none of this replaces traditional fitting protocol; fitting formulas, REMs, validated intelligibility measures, etc., remain key. But Henningsen’s challenge to the field is what happens after that: whether the profession has too readily accepted the idea that patients should simply “go home and get used to it.” If a strong sound preference can be identified earlier, WSA believes the acclimatization journey will be easier and that hearing aid use and benefit should increase.

The broader emphasis on well-being also aligns with a recent peer-reviewed paper coauthored by Erin Picou, Balling, and colleagues published this March in Trends in Hearing.⁴ In a crossover study of 30 adults with bilateral hearing loss and hearing aid experience, participants created a preferred “good sound quality” program and a “non-preferred but tolerable” program, wore each at home for about a week, and rated mood and hearing-related experiences daily. The researchers found that sound quality ratings were significantly linked to mood and hearing-related experiences. For participants whose lab and home preferences were consistent, listening-related fatigue and mood were significantly better during the week with the preferred program. Although this was not a direct Sound Preference validation study, it helps explain why the issue may matter beyond mere taste: sound quality and preference appear to be linked to fatigue, confidence, and day-to-day well-being.

Ongoing Sound Preference Research and Implementation

Filip Rønne, PhD, the global head of ORCA Labs at WSA, shared continuing research on the validation of Sound Preference, including preferences in hearing aids, clinical implementation, and what he calls “the science of choice.” An advisory board has been formed that includes Gabrielle Saunders, PhD (University of Manchester, UK), Erin Picou, PhD (Vanderbilt University), Bec Bennett, PhD (NAL), and Helen Henshaw, PhD (University of Nottingham, UK). Research will begin before the end of this year and is expected to be presented sometime in 2027.

WSA’s Sound Preference: Why Hearing Aid Sound Personalization Matters

The 20-60-20 Split in Sound Preference

Research in Sound Preference

How Sound Preference Works

Sound Preference for Better Hearing Aid Selection and Workflow

Ongoing Sound Preference Research and Implementation

References

Karl Strom