E-A-R Auditory Systems E-A-RTONE 5A Technical manual

Instructions for the use of
Insert Earphones
Auditory Systems

INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on the purchase of your new E-A-RTONE®5A Insert
Earphones. The E-A-RTONE®5A was designed to retain all the advantages
of the E-A-RTONE®3A Insert Earphone, and provide additional features.The
front tubes that conducted sound from the body level transducer of the 3A
model to the ear canal, and the tubing or “plumbing” within the transducer
case have been eliminated. The result is an insert earphone that provides
ear-level sound transduction, a wider frequency response, and greater
reliability.
Whether you are performing hearing screening in an educational or industrial
setting, testing related to the fitting or evaluation of amplification, audiological
research, or comprehensive diagnostic assessment, E-A-RTONE®5A Insert
Earphones provide many advantages that can enhance test reliability and
minimize or eliminate problems frequently encountered with supra-aural
headphones.
Because the subject’s external canal is sealed with an E-A-RLINK®foam
plug, which functions as a sound delivery system while at the same time
attenuating ambient noise, reliable threshold measurement can be
accomplished in environments previously unsuitable for hearing testing.
Direct coupling also produces much greater sound separation between ears
across the test frequency range. Clinically, that means more instances where
the need for masking is eliminated, or the level necessary for effective masking
is lower. Your average testing time will decrease without sacrificing reliability.
The method of clinical masking you use does not need to be altered. Simply
substitute the greater inter-aural attenuation values cited in the Obtained
Interaural Attenuation table on page 4 of this booklet.
E-A-RLINK®‚ couplers are available from your distributor in five sizes, three
foam tips and two small PVC tips for infant testing. The standard (3A) foam
plug will comfortably fit most adult ear canals, a smaller (3B) size is
appropriate for pediatric testing, and an extra large (3C) size can be used to
couple the E-A-RTONE®Insert Earphone to very large or surgically altered
ear canals. To accommodate EACs too small for the 3B tip, 3.5mm and
4.0mm PVC “Infant Eartips” are now available for your youngest patients.
Disposable plugs insure that sanitary conditions exist for every test you
perform, and that periodic cleaning of a headband or earphone cushion is no
longer required.
The E-A-RTONE®5A Insert Earphone is offered with two levels (10 and 50 )
of impedance to match the output of most commercially available
audiometers. If you require a 300 insert earphone, the E-A-RTONE®3A is
1

still available with that impedance. Your distributor or E-A-R Auditory Systems
can help you determine which version is appropriate for your equipment.
E-A-RTONE®5A Insert Earphones were designed to mimic the frequency
response of the TDH-type earphone. It is strongly recommended, however,
that the (RETSPL) values and procedure cited in the ANSI S3.6 - 1996
Standard be used in recalibration of your equipment, before initial use, unless
your audiometer was purchased with an E-A-RTONE®5A as the standard
transducer. Subsequent calibrations should be performed at least annually
thereafter. Measured correction factors can be applied in those cases where
it is necessary to alternate between an insert earphone and a supra-aural
earphone.
This instruction booklet is intended to provide information to allow you to
perform hearing testing with your audiometer and E-A-RTONE®5A Insert
Earphones with the confidence that test results will be comparable to, or
in certain instances more reliable than, measurements performed with
supra-aural headphones. Most questions regarding the use and calibration of
E-A-RTONE®5A Insert Earphones can be answered by reviewing this booklet
and the American National Standard Specification for Audiometers (ANSI
S3.6-1996). For information regarding replacement items, please contact
your distributor or E-A-R Auditory Systems Customer Service at 317/656-
5713. Requests for technical assistance, or comments regarding
E-A-RTONE®5A Insert Earphones should be directed to E-A-R Auditory
Systems 5457 W. 79th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46268.
2

1. Preliminary Procedures for Use of the E-A-RTONE®5A
Initially examine the ear canal for obstruction(s) and evaluate the proper size
of E-A-RLINK®disposable foam eartip needed to fit the particular ear canal.
Although the standard E-A-RLINK®3A fits most adult ear canals, the smaller
diameter E-A-RLINK®3B eartips are available if the standard eartip is too
large for full insertion in small external canals. A good seal and the proper
insertion depth will afford the greatest ambient and interaural attenuation.
Insertion procedures are the same for the E-A-RLINK®3A and E-A-RLINK®
3B, but deep insertion may be difficult to achieve in extremely small ear
canals. In these instances, the newly available Infant Eartips are appropriate.
• Secure the section of black tubing, which protrudes from the
E-A-RLINK®eartip, to the sound tube nipple protruding from the
E-A-RTONE®5A case.
• Slowly roll the E-A-RLINK®tip into the smallest diameter possible and
insert the E-A-RLINK®well into the ear canal (see illustrations).The
case will function as an insertion tool. Since the eartips are 12 mm long,
the correct insertion depth into the ear canal is obtained when the rear
edge of the E-A-RLINK®is 2-3 mm inside the entrance of the ear canal.
• Hold E-A-RLINK®in the ear canal until expanded.
• After the test is completed, remove the E-A-RLINK®eartips and replace
with a new pair for the next subject.
3
E-A-RLINK®
Full Insertion Shallow Insertion
Black
tubing
Foam eartip
E-A-RTONE
Case

Proper insertion depth is necessary to achieve maximum ambient noise
attenuation and interaural attenuation. The graph below depicts interaural
attenuation as a function of insertion depth. The described interaural
attenuation is obtained for each ear in which the E-A-RLINK®is fully inserted,
regardless of whether it is the “sending” ear or “receiving” ear.
2. Background Noise Reduction
A major benefit of the E-A-RTONE®Insert Earphone in combination with the
E-A-RLINK®disposable foam eartips is the reduction of background noise that
might interact with the presented pure tones and influence threshold
determinations. When E-A-RLINK®eartips are fitted to the subject according
to the instructions, the expected noise attenuation will typically exceed 30 dB
in the frequency region 125-8000 Hz. This additional attenuation will improve
test reliability in non-ideal environments and, in most cases, allow testing
down to 0 dB HL in a background noise level not exceeding 45 dB(A).
The current ANSI Standard (ANSI S3.1-1999) “Maximum Permissible
Ambient Noise Levels (MPANLs) For Audiometric Test Rooms” (Table 1
and Table 2) includes octave band and one-third octave band permissible
noise levels for both supra-aural and Insert Earphones. The ANSI octave
band MPANLs are presented below for standard earphones and also for
E-A-RTONES®with fully inserted E-A-RLINKS®.
4
-10
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
dB
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000 Hz
Obtained Interaural Attenuation (E-A-RTONE 3A Data)
Full E-A-RLINK insertion in both ears
Shallow insertion in dead ear only
Shallow insertion in both ears

ANSI S3.1-1999 - Ears covered: octave band MPANLs using a supra-aural or
insert earphone for three test frequency ranges re: 20µPa to nearest 0.5 dB.
The ears covered MPANLs shown in the above table were derived using
mean earphone attenuation values. To decrease the chance that individual
listeners for whom less than average attenuation is obtained will experience
threshold shift, the MPANLs can be lowered by reducing the amount of
earphone attenuation. An appropriate reduction would be equal to the mean
attenuation minus one standard deviation. The net effect would be that the
MPANLs would be lower (more stringent) for ears covered testing. This
reduction would cover about 84% of all subjects. The standard deviations for
Insert Earphones for 125 to 8000 Hz are between three (3) and six (6)
decibels. Please refer to ANSI S3.1 – 1999, Table A.2, for specific standard
deviation values by frequency.
3. Positioning of the E-A-RTONE®
While the shape of the E-A-RTONE®5A case is similar to that of a small BTE
instrument, correct insertion of the connected E-A-RLINK®will place the case
portion in front of the pinna. Always use E-A-RLINK®tips in both ears, or
block the non-test ear with an E-A-R®foam plug.
4. Cable Assembly
The junction or pod portion of the cable assembly should be supported at or
near the patient’s mid chest level to relieve tension on the E-A-RLINK®
couplers.This can be accomplished by attaching the Velcro-backed clip to the
pod and then clipping the pod directly to the subject’s clothing. Alternatively,
the clip can be attached to the metal ring on the adjustable lanyard that is
worn around the neck.
5. Pure Tone Calibration
When the E-A-RTONE®5A Insert Earphone is to be used as the primary
transducer, the audiometer should be recalibrated using the reference
thresholds provided in ANSI S3.6-1996. The standard presents reference
5
125
250
500
1000
2000
4000
8000
67.0
53.0
50.0
47.0
49.0
50.0
56.0
35.0
25.0
21.0
26.0
34.0
37.0
37.0
39.0
25.0
21.0
26.0
34.0
37.0
37.0
49.0
35.0
21.0
26.0
34.0
37.0
37.0
59.0
53.0
50.0
47.0
49.0
50.0
56.0
78.0
64.0
50.0
47.0
49.0
50.0
56.0
Supra-aural Earphone E-A-RTONE Full Insertion
Octave Band
Intervals 125 - 8,000 Hz 250 - 8,000 Hz 500 - 8,000 Hz 125 - 8,000 Hz 250 - 8,000 Hz 500 - 8,000 Hz

thresholds for the HA-1, HA-2 (DB 0138) and Ear Simulator 2cc couplers. The
Bruel & Kjaer 2cc DB-0138 (HA-2) coupler will simplify the calibration
procedure and is recommended. Reference thresholds for the DB-0138, IEC
711, and HA-1 couplers are presented below. Should calibration be
performed for an audiometer currently calibrated towards ISO-389, the
reference thresholds in a 2cc DB-0138 coupler should be used. In order to
calibrate the audiometer for direct readings of the hearing thresholds in dBHL
using the reference thresholds, the following procedure is recommended. The
instrumentation required is a Sound Level Meter with an appropriate
condenser microphone calibrated according to the manufacturer’s
specification. To the microphone, a 2cc coupler, e.g., Bruel & Kjaer DB-0138
is attached. The white nylon tube nipple of the E-A-RTONE®5A earphone is
connected directly to the coupler (see illustration). Set the intensity dial on the
audiometer to 70 dBHL and adjust the output from the audiometer to the SPL-
values given for the different test frequencies in the table below. Repeat the
procedure for all available test frequencies, and in case of a dual channel
audiometer, for both channels.
6
Frequency in Hz
125
250
500
750
1000
1500
2000
3000
4000
6000
8000
Coupler 2cc DB-0138
96.0
84.0
75.5
72.0
70.0
72.0
73.0
73.5
75.5
72.0
70.0
Coupler IEC 711
98.0
87.5
79.5
76.0
75.5
79.5
81.5
83.0
85.0
86.0
85.5
Coupler 2cc HA-1
96.5
84.5
76.0
72.0
70.0
70.0
72.5
72.5
70.0
67.5
66.5
ANSI S3.6-1996 and ISO 389-2:1994 CalibrationValues
E-A-RTONE
Case
Case nipple
DB-0138 nipple #13 tubing
DB-0138
2cc
coupler
E-A-RTONE
Case
E-A-RLINK
FUNTAK
HA-1 COUPLER

6. Correction Factors
Providers who need to switch between insert and supra-aural earphones may
do so with properly calibrated equipment.Previously provided “out-of-the-box”
correction factors, however, have been judged to be imprecise for clinical
work, particularly when used with audiometers that have been calibrated to
account for equipment changes over time. Standardized correction factors
are therefore not provided. If the audiometer is calibrated for either type of
transducer as the primary earphone, measured correction factors for a
secondary earphone can be obtained by measuring the output on the
appropriate coupler and calculating the difference from the appropriate target
value at each frequency. Audiogram correction factors can then be
confidently applied for the secondary earphone. The example below outlines
the steps, and provides an example worksheet to calculate the correction
factors by frequency where the audiometer is calibrated with a supra-aural
earphone, and an insert earphone is used as the secondary transducer. In
this case, the measured SPLs are the 2cc coupler values obtained with an
insert earphone connected to an audiometer calibrated for a supra-aural
earphone, and the Target SPLs are the audiometer HL setting plus the insert
earphone RETSPLs for the particular 2cc coupler used.The process will work
as well in reverse, i.e. audiometer calibrated for an E-A-RTONE®insert
earphone with a supra-aural earphone as the secondary transducer, as long
as the appropriate Target SPLs (TDH values) are employed.
•Calibrate the audiometer to the appropriate standard for the primary
transducer. (TDH-39, 49 or 50 in this example)
•Connect E-A-RTONES®to the audiometer.
•Measure the output in a 2cc coupler and substitute obtained values
for the Measured SPLs in the example worksheet below.
•Tabulate at each test frequency the difference between actual and
target sound pressure levels.
•Apply the rounded correction factors obtained to the audiometer dial
readings. Record and post for convenience.
•Repeat the procedure whenever the audiometer is calibrated.
7
250
90.5
84.0
6.5
5
500
76.8
75.5
1.3
0
750
74.1
72.0
2.1
0
1000
72.0
70.0
2.0
0
1500
73.4
72.0
1.4
0
2000
77.5
73.0
4.5
5
3000
79.3
73.5
5.8
5
4000
76.5
75.5
1.0
0
6000
63.7
72.0
-8.3
-10
8000
58.0
70.0
-12.0
-10
Measured SPL
Target SPL*
Difference
Rounded Correction
Worksheet example for calculation of individual (insert earphone
correction factors for audiometer calibrated with TDH type earphone
Frequency in Hz
*Target SPL = audiometer HL +RETSPL

7. Calibration for Speech Audiometry
ANSI S3.6-1996 specifies the 1 kHz reference-tone level for the speech circuit
as 12.5 dB above the 1 kHz pure-tone reference test threshold for the
earphone in question. Calibration of the E-A-RTONE®for speech is thus
performed by setting a 1 kHz signal at 0VU through the speech circuit, setting
the attenuator to 60 dBHL, and adjusting for 72.5 (60.0 + 12.5) dB SPL in the
2cc coupler. A range of 69.5 to 75.5 dB meets the ±3 dB tolerance allowed
in the standard.
8. Technical Specifications and Limits for E-A-RTONE®5A
Impedance 10 Ohm or 50 Ohm
1 kHz Sensitivity 102.5 dB SPL in DB-0138 (HA-2) coupler
@ 0.1 Volt rms.(10 Ohm)
@ 0.2 Volt rms.(50 Ohm)
Limits ± 3 dB
Distortion < 3% measured @ 500 Hz, 118.5 dB
SPL
Maximum output Meets or exceeds 110 dBHL at standard
audiometric frequencies between 500
and 4000 Hz
Safe operating limits Max. continuous sine wave drive:
2.5 Volt rms.(10 Ohm)
5.0 Volt rms.(50 Ohm)
Max. Peak voltage for 10 Volts (10 Ohm)
1-% duty cycle 20 Volts (50 Ohm)
Accessories supplied:
50 disposable E-A-RLINK®3A eartips, 10 disposable E-A-RLINK®3B eartips,
4 disposable E-A-RLINK®3C eartips and 213 cm cord (7 feet) with left and
right 1/4”mono color-coded phono-plugs.
Data supplied: 2cc-coupler frequency response chart on individual units.
8

9. Reference Equivalent Threshold Sound Pressure Levels (RETSPLs)
According to ANSI S3.6-1996 and ISO-389-2:1994
10. Limited Warranty
Aearo Company warrants each insert earphone (sold under the name
E-A-RTONE®5A) it manufactures to be free from defects in material and
workmanship under normal use for a period of twelve (12) months from the
date of sale to the original purchaser. During this warranty period Aearo
Company Auditory Systems will repair or replace, at Auditory Systems sole
option, free of charge, any defective part returned with shipping charges
prepaid to the address listed on the back cover. This shall be the sole and
exclusive remedy available for a failure under this warranty and for any and all
claims arising out of the purchase and use of the product, and the sole
obligation of Aearo Company under this warranty shall be limited to repair or
replacement of any defective part. Please specify the serial number(s) of the
product, original date of purchase, and the nature of the problem.
Merchandise not returned prepaid will be refused. Mailing, at the time of
purchase, a completed Warranty Card that is included with each E-A-RTONE
Insert Earphone will facilitate our ability to return repaired units as quickly as
possible.Warranty service will vary depending on the availability of parts and
the workload. There will be charges rendered for product repairs made after
our warranty period has expired (twelve [12] months from original date of
purchase). Upon request, our Customer Service Department will provide cost
estimates for post-warranty repairs.
Our warranty does not cover damage or failure caused by abuse, misuse,
abnormal usage, faulty installation, improper maintenance, failure to follow
9
Frequency in Hz
125
250
500
750
1000
1500
2000
3000
4000
6000
8000
Coupler 2cc DB-0138
26.0
14.0
5.5
2.0
0.0
2.0
3.0
3.5
5.5
2.0
0.0
Coupler IEC 711
28.0
17.5
9.5
6.0
5.5
9.5
11.5
13.0
15.0
16.0
15.5
Coupler 2cc HA-1
26.5
14.5
6.0
2.0
0.0
0.0
2.5
2.5
0.0
-2.5
-3.5
ANSI S3.6 and ISO 389-2 ReferenceThresholds
Sound Pressure Levels in dB re.20 µPa

the operation and other instructions found in the written materials provided
with the product, or repairs other than those made by Aearo Company
Auditory Systems. There are no obligations or liabilities on the part of Aearo
Company Auditory Systems for consequential damages arising out of, or in
the connection with, the operation, use or performance of the product
including, without limitation, with respect to loss of revenues or profit.
This Warranty is in lieu of all other oral or written, express or implied
warranties including, without limitation, warranties of fitness for a particular
purpose and merchantability, and there are no warranties that extend beyond
the description or duration of this warranty. No representative, agent, dealer
or employee of Aearo Company is authorized to give any other warranty or to
assume for Aearo Company any other liability in connection with sale or
service of the products covered by this limited warranty.
In order for Auditory Systems to properly evaluate and resolve potential
problems with E-A-RTONE Insert Earphones it is necessary for the complete
unit(s) i.e., cable and red and blue cases to be returned. Return of the cable
or cases alone will impede our ability to repair insert earphones in a timely
fashion. Complete units needing repair should be sent to the address on the
back cover of this instruction book.
10

E-A-R Auditory Systems
8001 Woodland Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46278
Customer Service
(toll free from the US only): 800/624-5955 Fax: [phone]
International Customer Service
Ph: 317/656-5713 Fax: [phone]
Technical Support Ph: 317/692-6550 Fax: [phone]
2000 Aearo Company Auditory Systems
E-A-R®, E-A-RTONE®and E-A-RLINK®are all registered trademarks of Aearo Company
018-9013