Purpose
To characterize the test-retest variability with supra-aural and insert earphones and compare the pure tone thresholds between the transducers.
Methods
Seventy-four individuals of both genders with normal hearing and tympanometric curve of type A were selected. All subjects underwent anamnesis, meatoscopy, air conduction pure tone audiometry, either with the supra-aural earphone, or with insert earphone and speech audiometry. After this initial evaluation Acoustic Impedance Testswere performed. Finally, pure tone audiometry procedures were repeated with both transducers.
Results
Supra-aural earphone produced higher test-retest variability when compared to the insert earphones. Comparing a transducer with each other, the responses were sometimes similar and sometimes favoring one or the other transducer considering the first and second evaluations.
Conclusion
There is a greater test-retest variability with supra-aural earphones comparing with insert earphones. However, better thresholds were obtained in the retest condition for both transducers.
Pure-tone audiometry; Audiometry; Audiology; Hearing; Auditory threshold