Is the sound generator volume control needed for sound therapy with hearing instrument combination device?

Our previous studies demonstrated that new open ear combination prototype hearing instrument, was very useful in the tinnitus treatment. This instrument consists of an amplification part with advanced signal processing such as multi band wide dynamic rage compression, digital feedback suppression and noise reduction, and an advanced sound generator part. This combination has been chosen to obtain optimal compensation for the subjects hearing loss and provide the most effective sound enrichment for use in TRT. This prototype was been modified: the receiver was moved to the ear (RITE) and the volume control for noise generator was removed. Aim of this study is to evaluate if the new prototype can deliver better results than the previous one. 20 tinnitus patients were randomly divided in two groups: the first group is using the original prototype, the second using the new modified one without volume control and with RITE. THI and VAS were administered at the beginning, and they will be administered after 3 and 6 months. Our hypothesis is that the missing of volume control doesn’t affect the sound treatment efficacy while the RITE can improves the outcomes.