Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Also written as: SNR — Signal-to-Noise Ratio
The decibel difference between a target signal (e.g., speech) and competing background noise, used in audiology to quantify listening conditions and hearing aid benefit.
Full Definition
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in audiological diagnostics expresses how much louder a target signal is relative to the background noise, measured in decibels. A positive SNR indicates the signal is louder than the noise; a negative SNR indicates the opposite. SNR is a critical variable in speech perception testing, classroom acoustics evaluation, and hearing device assessment. Editors should render it as 'signal-to-noise ratio' with hyphens when used as a compound modifier, and use the abbreviation SNR (not S/N ratio interchangeably without establishing consistency). It must not be confused with the audiometric concept of dynamic range.
Usage
Usage note: Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier (e.g., 'signal-to-noise ratio loss'). The abbreviations SNR and S/N ratio should not be mixed within the same document without explicit definition.
In Context
- "The child's signal-to-noise ratio loss was −3 dB, indicating difficulty understanding speech in typical classroom environments." — Pediatric audiology report
- "Ensure 'SNR' is defined on first use and that 'signal-to-noise ratio' is hyphenated when used attributively." — Editorial checklist