When silence is loud: CMU audiology students decode the sounds behind tinnitus care

For individuals living with tinnitus, silence can be anything but quiet. Tinnitus is often described as ringing, buzzing, or static, affecting millions of people. It’s commonly managed through sound therapy programs built into hearing aids. Many programs share similar names and labels, but new research from Central Michigan University suggests they may sound and behave differently than clinicians and patients realize.

Under the supervision of Dr. Yunfang Zheng, Doctor of Audiology students Olivia Miron and Kelly Kraemer are exploring those differences through complementary research projects that investigate how tinnitus sound therapy programs vary across hearing aid manufacturers and hearing loss profiles.

Looking beneath the preset

Miron’s project, Acoustic Differences Across Tinnitus Programs, takes a close look at more than 40 tinnitus programs offered by seven major hearing aid manufacturers. Rather than focusing on patient outcomes alone, her research begins at a foundational level, examining what these programs are producing acoustically.

Using both manufacturer software and clinical verification equipment, Miron analyzed each program’s pitch, loudness, frequency distribution, and adjustability. She also compared software-predicted output to what the hearing aids produced when measured clinically.

What she found was significant differences between manufacturers and between programs with the same name.

“Two programs might be labeled similarly, but their actual acoustic output can be very different,” Miron said. “That has important implications for how clinicians select and verify tinnitus programs for patients.”

Hearing loss configuration changes the output

Building on that Miron’s work, Kraemer’s project, Effects of Hearing Loss Configuration on Tinnitus Program Outputs, examined how tinnitus programs behave when programmed for different hearing loss profiles.

Using the same tinnitus sound therapy programs and manufacturers in Miron’s project, Kraemer evaluated output for moderate hearing loss configurations, including flat, sloping, and rising patterns.

Her findings showed that tinnitus program output changes significantly depending on hearing loss degree, configuration, and manufacturer. Put simply, the same program may behave very differently from one patient to the next.

“These results reinforce that tinnitus care can’t be one-size-fits-all,” Kraemer said. “Small programming decisions can have a big impact on what patients actually hear.”

From measurements to meaningful care

Together, the projects emphasize the importance of verification and individualized decision-making in tinnitus management. While tinnitus sound therapy is widely used, there is limited guidance on how different programs compare or how hearing loss characteristics influence their performance.

Miron’s research is now moving into a perceptual phase, where participants will listen to different tinnitus programs and rate comfort, sound quality, and how noticeable or bothersome the sound is. This next step will help connect acoustic differences to real patient experiences.

“The goal is to link what we measure to what patients actually feel,” Miron said. “That’s what ultimately matters in clinical care.”

Early research, real-world impact

Both students credit CMU’s Audiology program for encouraging early involvement in research and clinical application. As first-year doctoral students, Miron and Kraemer were able to engage in meaningful research that directly connects to patient care which has now shaped how they view their future roles as clinicians.

“This work has shown me how much impact audiologists can have on quality of life,” Miron said. “Being involved in research this early has helped me connect classroom learning to real clinical decisions.”

Kraemer added that the experience has deepened her understanding of counseling and personalization in tinnitus care, and she hopes the findings will guide future students and clinicians in refining treatment strategies.

Research across the health professions

The Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions is sponsored by Gary and Barb Russell. The 8th Annual Research Symposium will take place on April 8 from 2–4 p.m. in CHP’s atrium and highlight projects like Miron’s and Kraemer’s. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with research from audiology, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, public health, athletic training, and more.

The symposium is free and open to the CMU community, offering a window into how student-led research is shaping the future of health care one carefully measured sound at a time.