What is Binaural Squelch?

Binaural squelch is the improved ability to focus on a desired sound in the presence of undesired sounds when you hear it through both ears. This is achieved by the brain’s ability to compare the timing and intensity of sounds between the two ears and to suppress the undesired sounds.

How does the binaural squelch effect improve the SNR? 

The binaural squelch effect improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by suppressing the undesired sounds. This is done by comparing the timing and intensity of sounds between the two ears. If the two ears receive sounds that are out of sync or have different intensities, the brain will suppress the undesired sound.

What is the purpose of binaural hearing? 

The purpose of binaural hearing is to allow us to localize sounds in space, distinguish between different sounds, and hear more clearly in noisy environments. Binaural hearing provides us with a number of advantages over monaural hearing (hearing with one ear), including:

• Improved sound localization: Binaural hearing allows us to localize sounds in space more accurately. This is important for safety, as it allows us to identify the source of a sound and avoid potential hazards.
• Enhanced speech understanding: Binaural hearing also helps us to understand speech more clearly, especially in noisy environments. This is because binaural hearing provides us with additional cues that help us to distinguish between different sounds.
• Reduced listening effort: Binaural hearing can also reduce listening effort. This is because our brains do not have to work as hard to process sound when we have two ears to listen with.

What are the cues of binaural hearing? 

The cues of binaural hearing are the differences between the sounds that reach the two ears. These cues include:

• Interaural time difference (ITD): This is the difference in the time it takes for a sound to reach the two ears.
• Interaural level difference (ILD): This is the difference in the loudness of a sound between the two ears.
• Interaural phase difference (IPD):This is the difference in the phase of a sound between the two ears.
• Head shadow effect: This is the attenuation of high-frequency sounds by the head.
• Occlusion effect: This is the increase in loudness of low-frequency sounds when the ear canal is blocked.

Conclusion

Binaural squelch is a natural phenomenon that occurs when we hear with both ears. This effect helps us to focus on a desired sound in the presence of undesired sounds by suppressing the undesired sounds. Binaural squelch is an important part of binaural hearing, and it helps us to localize sounds in space, distinguish between different sounds, and hear more clearly in noisy environments.