To compare the performance of two types of supra-aural headphones in both silence and noise in automated hearing screening in adults via tablet computers.

Basic audiological assessments and audiometry screenings via tablet were conducted in silence and noise in 35 participants. The hearing screening application assesses frequencies of 1, 2, and 4 kHz (20 dBHL) and 0.5 kHz (30 dBHL) in each ear separately. Two different headphones were tested: TDH 39 (Telephonics Corporation) and Sennheiser HD 280 PRO (Sennheiser) (with passive noise cancellation)—in silence, white noise, and cafeteria noise, emitted in a free field. The screening results were compared with the gold standard (audiometry).

The results of the 35 participants with Sennheiser HD 280 PRO were compatible with the gold standard in the 3 situations. With TDH 39, the results of 33 individuals in silence and 34 in white noise were compatible with the gold standard. Both headphones, in automated screening in silence and noise, had 100% sensitivity, more than 93% specificity, and more than 94% accuracy.

Both headphones performed well in the tablet automated hearing screening in the three situations. The HD 280 PRO performed better in silence and noise regarding specificity and accuracy. In cafeteria noise, there was no difference between the two headphones.

The study was conducted after the institution's Ethics Committee approved the project (CAEE no. 28958914.7.0000.0065). The research followed the norms and guidelines of Resolution 466/12, of the Brazilian National Health Council. All volunteers were informed about the research procedures, risks, and benefits and agreed to participate by signing an informed consent form.

C.P.A., C.H.R., data curation, formal analysis, acquisition, writing, review and editing; C.M.R., S.G.G.S., C.G.M., writing, review and editing; A.G.S., conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, methodology, project administration, resources, supervision, writing original draft, review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Data will be available upon request to the corresponding author.

Editor-in-Chief: Geraldo Pereira Jotz.

Received: 18 October 2024

Accepted: 19 June 2025

Article published online:
11 March 2026

© 2026. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Bibliographical Record
Camila P. Aquino, Clayton H. Rocha, Camila M. Rabelo, Seisse Gabriela Gandolfi Sanches, Carla G. Matas, Alessandra G. Samelli. Assessment of Two Types of Headphones Used in a Tablet-Based Automated Hearing Screening Method in Different Noise Conditions. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2026; 30: s00451811515.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811515