The occlusion effect occurs when the ear is completely or partially occluded, for example when wearing earphones or hearing aids. Sound transmitted through the body is amplified at lower frequencies, resulting in an altered perception of one’s own voice, often described as „hollow“ or „talking into a barrel“. This effect is one of the main sources of dissatisfaction with hearing aids, as the occlusion effect directly alters self-voice perception and remains a key challenge for achieving user acceptance. To address this issue, a systematic investigation and simulation of a range of occlusion conditions is essential, taking into account the separate contributions of air- and bone-conducted sound.

This thesis develops signal processing strategies that use a microphone and open headphones to create the occlusion effect artificially. Transfer functions for open and occluded ear canal conditions were derived from literature data, and Finite Impulse Response filters were designed and implemented to enable real-time processing with low latency. The input to the system is the user’s own voice, captured by a microphone positioned in front of the mouth, while the output is the processed audio signal reproduced through open headphones to create the occlusion effect at the ear. Initial listening impressions suggest that the simulated effect is perceptually convincing and plausible. This thesis investigates digital filter strategies for occlusion simulation, providing a foundation for future adaptive implementations that will further improve the realistic reproduction of the occlusion effect.

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