HearMetrics Hearing Aid Simulation Lab
Interactive tools for experiencing hearing aid performance in realistic conditions.
The HearMetrics Simulation Lab gives you hands-on tools to experience how hearing aids perform in real-world noise. Instead of relying on marketing claims, you can hear and see the differences for yourself using scientifically modeled simulations.
Speech-in-Noise Simulator
The core HearMetrics tool. Enter your audiogram, select a noise environment, and compare hearing aid brands side by side. See predicted word-recognition scores and listen to audio demonstrations of how each technology handles noise.
Open Simulator →Restaurant Listening Simulation
Experience the challenge of hearing in a realistic restaurant environment. Compare how different hearing aid technologies handle the complex mix of voices, music, kitchen noise, and reverberation that makes restaurants the most difficult listening situation.
Open Restaurant Simulation →What You Can Test
- Hearing loss levels — Input your audiogram or select a standard hearing loss profile
- Noise environments — Restaurant, office, car, outdoor, and more
- Hearing aid technologies — Compare directional microphones, beamforming, remote microphones, and AI noise reduction
- Hearing aid brands — Side-by-side comparisons of Phonak, Oticon, Starkey, Signia, Widex, and Fortell
- Dome types — See how open vs closed domes affect performance
- Distance effects — Understand how speaker distance changes speech understanding
How the Simulations Work
HearMetrics simulations are based on peer-reviewed speech-perception research. The tools calculate signal-to-noise ratios at each audiometric frequency and convert them to predicted word-recognition percentages using established psychometric functions.
The hearing aid performance data comes from published independent studies, not manufacturer-provided ideal-condition measurements. This means the results reflect realistic performance rather than best-case laboratory conditions.
For full technical details, see About the Model.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I test in the simulation lab?
You can test hearing loss levels, compare hearing aid brands and technologies, simulate different noise environments, and hear audio demonstrations of how hearing aids process speech in noise.
Are these simulations accurate?
The simulations are based on peer-reviewed research and published SNR data. They model realistic performance rather than ideal conditions. Results are estimates — your individual experience may vary based on your specific hearing loss and neural processing.
Related Pages
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Watch: What Hearing Loss Actually Sounds Like
An audio simulation of how mild, moderate, and severe sensorineural hearing loss affects speech in quiet and in noise.
Side-by-side audio examples comparing normal hearing, mild, moderate, and severe loss with and without hearing aids.