Influence of cochlear implant-like operating conditions on wavelet speech processing

This study assessed the influence of ‘non-ideal’ operating conditions typical of cochlear implants (CIs) on the behavior of the wavelet transform (WT) when used to process speech. Particular attention was given to the effect of limited stimulation rate and limited number of channels, typical of CI speech processing, on the performance of the WT. Computer simulations and psychoacoustic recognition tests of WT-processed speech were implemented. The crucial role played by the ‘non-ideal’ operating conditions on WT speech processing was put in evidence. Psychoacoustic recognition tests proved to be fundamental to evaluate feasibility of WT speech processing for CIs.