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Letter: Could we be more selective about what we hear?

Published 19 November 2025

From Richard Black, Belchford, Lincolnshire, UK

In a letter responding to the article about how our brains “swivel” towards certain sounds, Bryn Glover mentions the problem of using hearing aids in the dining area of a pub. Although I don’t use hearing aids, I have this problem of my brain focusing on the louder sounds behind me, or to one side, and wonder if hearing aids could be designed as binaural, forward-facing microphones (Letters, 1 November). Could software not then pick up and selectively amplify sounds coming from the direction one is facing?

Issue no. 3570 published 22 November 2025

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