Following is a list of words that people with cochlear implants have used to describe the quality of sound during or after mapping sessions. The terms also may relate to sounds users have experienced that may indicate a problem with equipment (i.e., a processor cord). Note that how one individual perceives a sound may not be the same as another person might, thus words on this list could mean entirely different things to different people. When chosing a term(s) to describe your listening experience, be prepared to explain it in more detail to your audiologist.
Bang
Barking
Bass
Beeping
Blaring
Blunted
Blurred
Booming
Bottom of a Barrel/Well
Breathy
Buzzy
Cartoonish
Chimes
Chipmunk
Chirpy
Chopped Up
Clangy
Clashy
Clear
Clicking
Clinking
Clipping
Compressed
Cottony
Crackling
Crinkling
Crisp
Cut Off
Cutting Out
Cymbals
Damped
Distorted
Droning
Ducks Quacking
Ducks Underwater
Dulled
Echoing/Echoey
Electronic
Fading
Far Away
Flat
Fluctuating
Fog Horn
Frog in Throat
Fuzzy
Fuzzy on the Edges
Garbled
Gargling/Gargly
Grating
Gravelly
Growly
Gurgling
Harsh
Helium
Hissy/"essi" (too much, or not enough "s")
Hoarse
Hollow
Indistinct
Intermittent
Jumping Out
Layered
Mechanical
Metallic
Metal Pipe
Microphonish
Motorboating
Muffled
Multiple Voices
Murky
Mushy
Muted
Nasal
Off the Station (radio out of tune)
Out of Focus
Out There (Voices sound disconnected from bodies)
Pitch
Quacking
Raspy
Resonant
Resonating
Reverberating
Roaring
Robotic
Rough
Rumbling
Screechy
Shadow Voices
Sharp
Shrill
Sibilant (too hissy)
Signal to Noise Ratio
Snap
Soft
Spongy
Squashed
Squawky
Squeal
Squeezed
Static/Police Radio-like
Tapping
Thin
Throaty
Tinkley
Tinny
Tunnel-Like/Metal Tunnel
Tweety
Underwater
Vibrating
Warbling
Whiny
Whispery
Whistling
White Noise
Contributions of terminology were made by adult cochlear implant users on the CI Forum and Nucleus Forum and compiled by Camille Jones. This list may be reprinted for further distribution. July 2, 2001
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