Objective comparison of auditory profiles using manifold learning and intrinsic measures

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Xu, Chen, Kollmeier, Birger, Schell-Majoor, Lena
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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author Xu, Chen
Kollmeier, Birger
Schell-Majoor, Lena
author_facet Xu, Chen
Kollmeier, Birger
Schell-Majoor, Lena
contents Assigning individuals with hearing impairment to auditory profiles can support a better understanding of the causes and consequences of hearing loss and facilitate profile-based hearing-aid fitting. However, the factors influencing auditory profile generation remain insufficiently understood, and existing profiling frameworks have rarely been compared systematically. This study therefore investigated the impact of two key factors - the clustering method and the number of profiles - on auditory profile generation. In addition, eight established auditory profiling frameworks were systematically reviewed and compared using intrinsic statistical measures and manifold learning techniques. Frameworks were evaluated with respect to internal consistency (i.e., grouping similar individuals) and cluster separation (i.e., clear differentiation between groups). To ensure comparability, all analyses were conducted on a common open-access dataset, the extended Oldenburg Hearing Health Record (OHHR), comprising 1,127 participants (mean age = 67.2 years, SD = 12.0). Results showed that both the clustering method and the chosen number of profiles substantially influenced the resulting auditory profiles. Among purely audiogram-based approaches, the Bisgaard auditory profiles demonstrated the strongest clustering performance, whereas audiometric phenotypes performed worst. Among frameworks incorporating supra-threshold information in addition to the audiogram, the Hearing4All auditory profiles were advantageous, combining a near-optimal number of profile classes (N = 13) with high clustering quality, as indicated by a low Davies-Bouldin index. In conclusion, manifold learning and intrinsic measures enable systematic comparison of auditory profiling frameworks and identify the Hearing4All auditory profile as a promising approach for future research.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_03827
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Objective comparison of auditory profiles using manifold learning and intrinsic measures
Xu, Chen
Kollmeier, Birger
Schell-Majoor, Lena
Medical Physics
Audio and Speech Processing
Assigning individuals with hearing impairment to auditory profiles can support a better understanding of the causes and consequences of hearing loss and facilitate profile-based hearing-aid fitting. However, the factors influencing auditory profile generation remain insufficiently understood, and existing profiling frameworks have rarely been compared systematically. This study therefore investigated the impact of two key factors - the clustering method and the number of profiles - on auditory profile generation. In addition, eight established auditory profiling frameworks were systematically reviewed and compared using intrinsic statistical measures and manifold learning techniques. Frameworks were evaluated with respect to internal consistency (i.e., grouping similar individuals) and cluster separation (i.e., clear differentiation between groups). To ensure comparability, all analyses were conducted on a common open-access dataset, the extended Oldenburg Hearing Health Record (OHHR), comprising 1,127 participants (mean age = 67.2 years, SD = 12.0). Results showed that both the clustering method and the chosen number of profiles substantially influenced the resulting auditory profiles. Among purely audiogram-based approaches, the Bisgaard auditory profiles demonstrated the strongest clustering performance, whereas audiometric phenotypes performed worst. Among frameworks incorporating supra-threshold information in addition to the audiogram, the Hearing4All auditory profiles were advantageous, combining a near-optimal number of profile classes (N = 13) with high clustering quality, as indicated by a low Davies-Bouldin index. In conclusion, manifold learning and intrinsic measures enable systematic comparison of auditory profiling frameworks and identify the Hearing4All auditory profile as a promising approach for future research.
title Objective comparison of auditory profiles using manifold learning and intrinsic measures
topic Medical Physics
Audio and Speech Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.03827