Effect of frequency-to-place mismatch on speech and music sound quality in acoustic cochlear implant simulation.

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Title: Effect of frequency-to-place mismatch on speech and music sound quality in acoustic cochlear implant simulation.
Authors: Villejoubert, Louis1 (AUTHOR) lv362@cam.ac.uk, Picinali, Lorenzo2 (AUTHOR), Faulkner, Kathleen3 (AUTHOR), Vickers, Deborah1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Apr2026, Vol. 159 Issue 4, p3358-3371. 14p.
Subjects: Cochlear implants, Musical perception, Speech perception, Auditory perception
Abstract: Sound quality perception for cochlear implant (CI) users has become increasingly important. Although many CI users achieve near-normal speech recognition in quiet, they often report poor sound quality, particularly for music. One factor contributing to this degradation is frequency-to-place mismatch (FTPM), which occurs when electrode positions do not align with the cochlea's characteristic frequency map. This study aimed to better understand the impact of FTPM on sound quality in CI simulations across different signal types and configurations. Twenty-three normal-hearing participants were tested (online or onsite) using an adapted MUlti Stimulus test with Hidden Reference and Anchor (MUSHRA) paradigm. Different FTPM configurations were simulated with a noise vocoder to assess their influence on speech and music sound quality. Results showed that greater FTPM caused noticeable degradation, especially when lower frequencies were affected. Variability in FTPM across electrodes also significantly reduced perceived quality. Furthermore, the impact of FTPM depended on the type of stimulus, with speech and music showing distinct sensitivity patterns. Online assessments closely matched onsite results, confirming the reliability of remote testing. Together, these findings clarify why sound quality perception differs between CI users and contexts and highlight new opportunities to develop strategies for alleviating mismatch effects in CIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of the Acoustical Society of America is the property of American Institute of Physics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Effect of frequency-to-place mismatch on speech and music sound quality in acoustic cochlear implant simulation.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Villejoubert%2C+Louis%22">Villejoubert, Louis</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> lv362@cam.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Picinali%2C+Lorenzo%22">Picinali, Lorenzo</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Faulkner%2C+Kathleen%22">Faulkner, Kathleen</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Vickers%2C+Deborah%22">Vickers, Deborah</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+the+Acoustical+Society+of+America%22">Journal of the Acoustical Society of America</searchLink>. Apr2026, Vol. 159 Issue 4, p3358-3371. 14p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cochlear+implants%22">Cochlear implants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Musical+perception%22">Musical perception</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Speech+perception%22">Speech perception</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Auditory+perception%22">Auditory perception</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Sound quality perception for cochlear implant (CI) users has become increasingly important. Although many CI users achieve near-normal speech recognition in quiet, they often report poor sound quality, particularly for music. One factor contributing to this degradation is frequency-to-place mismatch (FTPM), which occurs when electrode positions do not align with the cochlea's characteristic frequency map. This study aimed to better understand the impact of FTPM on sound quality in CI simulations across different signal types and configurations. Twenty-three normal-hearing participants were tested (online or onsite) using an adapted MUlti Stimulus test with Hidden Reference and Anchor (MUSHRA) paradigm. Different FTPM configurations were simulated with a noise vocoder to assess their influence on speech and music sound quality. Results showed that greater FTPM caused noticeable degradation, especially when lower frequencies were affected. Variability in FTPM across electrodes also significantly reduced perceived quality. Furthermore, the impact of FTPM depended on the type of stimulus, with speech and music showing distinct sensitivity patterns. Online assessments closely matched onsite results, confirming the reliability of remote testing. Together, these findings clarify why sound quality perception differs between CI users and contexts and highlight new opportunities to develop strategies for alleviating mismatch effects in CIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of the Acoustical Society of America is the property of American Institute of Physics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1121/10.0043470
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 14
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        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Musical perception
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Speech perception
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Auditory perception
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Effect of frequency-to-place mismatch on speech and music sound quality in acoustic cochlear implant simulation.
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            NameFull: Picinali, Lorenzo
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            – D: 01
              M: 04
              Text: Apr2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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