The Most Comfortable Loudness level (MCL) is measured using what?

The Most Comfortable Loudness level (MCL) is primarily measured using cold running speech because this method provides a more natural and real-world representation of how speech is perceived in everyday situations. Cold running speech involves a continuous stream of spoken words that simulate normal conversation, allowing individuals to express comfort levels with loudness in a context that closely resembles their daily auditory experiences. This approach is valuable since comfort levels for speech can differ significantly from pure tones or isolated words, making it a more accurate reflection of a person's comfort with conversational volume.

In contrast, spondees are two-syllable words with equal stress that are often used for determining speech recognition thresholds rather than MCL. Pure tones are typically used for audiometric testing and frequency-specific thresholds but do not provide insight into how loudness is perceived in more complex, dynamic speech environments. Similarly, cold running PB-words, which consist of phonetically balanced words, are not typically used for measuring MCL, as they do not convey the same level of contextual understanding as running speech does. Thus, using cold running speech allows audiologists and hearing aid specialists to assess comfort levels in a manner that is representative of actual communication scenarios.