{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:14:54Z","timestamp":1760058894388,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,5]],"date-time":"2025-05-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746403200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"NIDCD of the National Institutes of Health","award":["R01DC021653"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01DC021653"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Audiology Research"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: This study examined the relationship between hearing device price and sound quality. Method: A novel consumer-centric metric of sound quality (\u201cSoundScore\u201d) was used to assess hearing devices\u2019 audio performance. Each hearing device is tested with two fittings. The \u201cInitial Fit\u201d is designed to approximate the most likely fitting for an individual with a mild-to-moderate sloping sensorineural hearing loss. The \u201cTuned Fit\u201d includes adjusting parameters optimized to hit prescriptive fitting targets (NAL NL2) on an acoustic manikin. Each fitting is evaluated across five dimensions. Both fittings are combined using a weighted average to create a single number from 0 to 5 representative of a device\u2019s overall audio performance. Seventy-one hearing devices were tested. Results: A strong positive correlation was found between hearing device price and SoundScore. The average SoundScore increased dramatically as the price approached USD 1000, with marginal improvements beyond this point. SoundScore was consistently poor for devices under USD 500, highly variable between USD 500\u20131000, and consistently good over USD 1000. Conclusions: There is a strong but nonlinear relationship between hearing device price and sound quality. This information can aid consumers in making informed decisions while also assisting hearing healthcare professionals in providing comprehensive guidance to their patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/audiolres15030051","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,5]],"date-time":"2025-05-05T21:42:09Z","timestamp":1746481329000},"page":"51","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["How Much Should Consumers with Mild to Moderate Hearing Loss Spend on Hearing Devices?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1254-8407","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vinaya","family":"Manchaiah","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology\u2013Head and Neck Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA"},{"name":"UCHealth Hearing and Balance, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, CO 80045, USA"},{"name":"Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative Initiative Between University of Colorado School of Medicine and University of Pretoria, Aurora, CO 80045, USA"},{"name":"Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa"},{"name":"Department of Speech and Hearing, School of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka 576104, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Steve","family":"Taddei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hear Advisor LLC, Rockford, IL 61102, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abram","family":"Bailey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hear Advisor LLC, Rockford, IL 61102, USA"},{"name":"Hearing Tracker Inc., Austin, TX 40702, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8313-1636","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"De Wet","family":"Swanepoel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology\u2013Head and Neck Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA"},{"name":"Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative Initiative Between University of Colorado School of Medicine and University of Pretoria, Aurora, CO 80045, USA"},{"name":"Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hansapani","family":"Rodrigo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX 78539, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrew","family":"Sabin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hear Advisor LLC, Rockford, IL 61102, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Manchaiah, V., Swanepoel, W., and Sharma, A. 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