Verification of an Amplification Strategy to Enhance Soft Speech for Adults With Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss

The soft speech enhancement algorithm significantly improved speech intelligibility, reduced listening effort, and enhanced sound quality for distant speech perception in Mandarin-speaking adults with SPHL. These findings suggest that targeted signal processing for soft speech can provide substantial benefits for individuals with SPHL, including speakers of tonal languages, potentially improving communication in challenging listening situations.