The STAR Option for the FONIX 6500-CX The Star Option gives you essential tests for signal-processing and multi-channel hearing aids and a new test for digital hearing aids. 1. ENHANCED ATTACK / RELEASE TEST The Enhanced attack/release TEST tells you how the output of a signal-processing hearing aid changes as sounds come and go. Good attack/release performance cannot be heard. But poor attack/release performance can lead to a dissatisfied client. The Enhanced attack/release TEST gives you a special graph showing you exactly what the hearing aid is doing. Plus you can choose the appropriate test frequency (or even the Speech-like Composite signal). 2. ADAPTIVE ATTACK / RELEASE TEST Some new processing circuits have variable release times to eliminate "pumping and breathing" of background noise. (Examples are Etymotic's K-Amp, Telex's Adaptive Compression, and Phonak's Super Compression.) You need the VARIABLE ATTACK/RELEASE TEST to check the performance of such circuits.   3. DIGITAL SPEECH IN NOISE This is a special test for digital hearing aids that distinguish between speech-like signals (interrupted) and noise (continuous). Two types of randomly presented signals are available. One is a long term speech average spectrum based on the ICRA signal. The other signal is an ANSI S3.42 signal, a shorter term speech-like noise. In addition, a puretone signal can be used as a bias signal, simulating noise in the presence of speech. 4. ENHANCED DSP One of the properties of digital hearing aids not normally mentioned in the literature is that it always takes time to process digital data. The Enhanced DSP test measures the processing time, also known as "group delay." It also measures the signal phase of the "pushing" and "pulling" of the amplified sound of the hearing aid. 04/01