Types And Functions Of An Audiometer

By Alyssa McCall


The hearing loss of an individual could be determined by an audiometer. The problem of hearing loss could only be solved if the individual's hearing loss has been determined. Hearing devices have a hardware that is usually put together with a headphone and they fall under the control of a standard PC. We have two types of devices, software devices and hardware devices.

One of the software hearing measurement device is the Screening PC Based instrument, which uses a standard computer only. Any person at their homes could check their hearing through this. They are however not accurate enough since they do not have a standard calibration. Some screening PC based devices could be found on a windows driven hand device.

Clinical PC Based devices are the next examples, and they are comparatively more expensive than the Screening PC Based hearing devices, a software based device. Their efficiency is much better that that of the software device that we know of. They are used in hospitals, research centres and audiometric centres by the professional doctors. The accuracy of their calibrators is also good compared to the hardware devices.

There rare different types of hearing devices with different modifications in the market. The clinical Astera one is an example and it is PC based. The PC based Auricle one is another example. It uses batteries I its operation and has proved to be extra accurate. We also have the Midimate audiometers that are stand alone in other words they are not PC based. The audiometric process uses air, bone and speech.

We have hybrid devices such as the Itera II which are both PC based and stand alone. It is easy for one to carry out their test session using this instrument. Another hybrid device is the Xeta device ant the other modification is that it is easily portable. They are fast, their flexibility is also great and their efficiency is also very great. The Micro mate audiometer is also hybrid but its uniqueness comes in in the test session that is easy and keeps contact of the patient.

The devices calibration should be checked time after time so as to ensure that the stimulus level is the same as that shown on the display. Acoustical checking of the audiometer is mainly practised by countries as the US. The American Standards Specification for Audiometers is the one that sets the method to be used in dong this.

For one to quantify their hearing loss, the audiometer they are using have to be very accurate for it to produce reliable measurements. If the device has complications with its calibration, it means that the measurements found are wrong and therefore the frequency set for the correction would be wrong.

It is thus clear that an audiometer is a clinical instrument but individuals could own them if they are cautious about their hearing loss. There are different audiometers as are listed above. Their calibration is an essential instrument for their performance.




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