Galaxy Buds Pro helps people with hearing impairments, claims study

Samsung Electronics has claimed that its study showed its Galaxy Buds Pro wireless earbuds could help people with hearing impairments.

The study, published last week in Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology (CEO), a well-known scientific journal dedicated to ear, nose and throat research, suggested that the Galaxy Buds Pro's Ambient Sound feature could assist those with mild to moderate hearing loss to better engage in conversation with others. The research was carried out in partnership with Samsung Medical Center.

This is of course not the first time that Samsung is claiming that its Galaxy Buds Pro has features to help the hearing-impaired.

Soon after its launch, Samsung came up with a software update that had "hearing enhancements feature", which allowed users to balance the sound between the left and right earbuds.

So, if anyone had hearing loss in their right ear, they could possibly boost the left earbud to create a more balanced soundstage.

But this Ambient Sound feature is a bit different. It is said to amplify nearby sounds by up to 20 decibels. With four levels to choose from, users can adjust and control how they experience nearby sounds.

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Galaxy Buds Pro tested along with other hearing aids

The new study assessed the efficacy of a hearing aid, a personal sound amplification product, and Galaxy Buds Pro.

"According to the authors, no other study has yet included true wireless earbuds when evaluating the clinical performance of hearing devices," Samsung said in a press announcement.

It claimed that the study has demonstrated the potential benefit of true wireless earbuds for individuals with mild to moderate hearing impairments. It can possibly improve the lives of 1.5 billion people globally who are currently living with some degree of hearing loss, the South Korean electronic major claimed.

Galaxy Buds Pro can benefit those with mild to moderate hearing loss

Galaxy Buds Pro in comparison to hearing aids — (Image credit: Samsung)

The company said the Galaxy Buds Pro, the hearing aid and the personal sound amplification product underwent three key tests: electroacoustic assessment, sound amplification evaluation and a clinical performance evaluation.

When tested with seven different frequencies for sound amplification evaluation, all devices showed an appropriate level of amplification.

In a clinical performance evaluation, which researched changes in individuals' hearing levels both with and without the devices, as well as their ability to recognize words and sentences, the study showed "statistical significance was observed" at 1,000Hz, 2,000Hz and 6,000Hz. Participants in the study had mild to moderate hearing loss, with a median age of 63, it added.

The Galaxy Buds Pro met the major performance criteria -- output sound pressure level, frequency range, equivalent input noise and total harmonic distortion -- in an electroacoustic assessment.

It was also discovered that, when wearing Galaxy Buds Pro, individuals were able to understand spoken words better.

This suggests that along with hearing aids and personal sound amplification products, Galaxy Buds Pro could potentially provide communicative benefit for individuals with hearing loss, and especially for those with mild and moderate loss, the company said.

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