Binaural hearing instrument fittings (a hearing instrument in each ear) better enable listeners to correctly perceive the location of sound in space. This leads to better understanding of conversation in noisy environments by virtue of being able to differentiate between the spatial location of a desired speaker and undesired noise. When spatial separation is present, the central auditory system normally functions to allow the suppression of undesired background noise and the ability to concentrate on desired speech. To better understand the advantage of binaural listening over monaural listening, those with normal hearing should try plugging one ear with a finger while trying to hear the words of a conversation partner in a noisy restaurant.

Hearing loss varies by type and degree. To find the most appropriate hearing instrument(s) for your particular needs, use the services of a hearing aid specialist.

P.S. According to one study, when normal-hearing subjects spatially separated speech from noise using binaural listening, they scored an average 20% improvement in speech intelligibility.