Audio Processing DelayNCT07533071
Effects of Delay in Hearing Assistive Technology
A study testing Audio delay in people with Audio Processing Delay, run by University of Illinois at Chicago at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Wireless assistive listening systems can dramatically improve intelligibility in noisy environments, but they are cumbersome to use. Digital consumer devices, such as smartphones, could be more accessible and user-friendly, but they suffer from transmission delays that could be disturbing to listeners. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Audio Processing Delay
- What is being tested?
- Audio delay
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 15 Apr 2026to Aug 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Comfortable conversing in English
Who cannot join
- Speech or hearing disorder
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Science and Engineering Laboratory
Chicago, Illinois, 60607
Ryan M Corey, PhD, 312-996-8274, ListeningTech@uic.edu
About this study
Wireless assistive listening systems can dramatically improve intelligibility in noisy environments, but they are cumbersome to use. Digital consumer devices, such as smartphones, could be more accessible and user-friendly, but they suffer from transmission delays that could be disturbing to listeners. Delay has been studied extensively for in-ear devices such as hearing aids, but not for remote microphone systems. This study aims to characterize the tolerable delay for wireless remote microphones both for both the user's own speech and for external sounds. This will provide valuable information for engineers designing next-generation assistive listening systems.
- Conditions
- Audio Processing Delay
- Being tested
- Audio delay
- Keywords
- Audio, Hearing, Latency, Assistive Listening, Wireless Microphone
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Audio delayOther
Audio will be captured by several microphones, processed to add an artificial delay, and then played back through headphones. The sound levels and delays for each microphone will be varied.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Effects of Delay in Hearing Assistive Technology | Experimental | Not described Receives: Other: Audio delay |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Subjective disturbance
Participants will rate their level of annoyance on a numerical scale from 1 to 7, where 1 indicates no annoyance (the sound seems normal) and 7 is intolerable (it is difficult to communicate). Lower is better.
Measured: Approximately 1 minute intervals
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted16 Apr 2026
- Study start15 Apr 2026
- Primary completionAug 2028 (estimated)
- Study completionAug 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Audio Processing DelayStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of Illinois at ChicagoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Ryan Corey, University of Illinois at Chicago
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07533071
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2024-0227
- Other IDs
- R21DC022643
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 8 Apr 2026
- Last updated
- 9 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: De-identified response data from all experiments will be shared.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 9 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Delay in Hearing Assistive Technology
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07533071
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2024-0227
- Conditions
- Audio Processing Delay
- Keywords
- Audio, Hearing, Latency, Assistive Listening, Wireless Microphone
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Illinois at ChicagoUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
- Study start
- 15 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Aug 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Aug 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 16 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Wireless assistive listening systems can dramatically improve intelligibility in noisy environments, but they are cumbersome to use. Digital consumer devices, such as smartphones, could be more accessible and user-friendly, but they suffer from transmission delays that could be disturbing to listeners. Delay has been studied extensively for in-ear devices such as hearing aids, but not for remote microphone systems. This study aims to characterize the tolerable delay for wireless remote microphones both for both the user's own speech and for external sounds. This will provide valuable information for engineers designing next-generation assistive listening systems.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Effects of Delay in Hearing Assistive Technology | Experimental | Other: Audio delay |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Comfortable conversing in English
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Speech or hearing disorder
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Audio delayAudio will be captured by several microphones, processed to add an artificial delay, and then played back through headphones. The sound levels and delays for each microphone will be varied. | Other | Effects of Delay in Hearing Assistive Technology |
Primary outcome
Subjective disturbance
Time frame: Approximately 1 minute intervals
Participants will rate their level of annoyance on a numerical scale from 1 to 7, where 1 indicates no annoyance (the sound seems normal) and 7 is intolerable (it is difficult to communicate). Lower is better.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 9 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. De-identified response data from all experiments will be shared.
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Audio delay in people with Audio Processing Delay, run by University of Illinois at Chicago at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Ryan M Corey, PhD (312-996-8274, ListeningTech@uic.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Subjective disturbance (time frame: Approximately 1 minute intervals). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 9 Jul 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 1 Nov 2026.