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The vast majority of audiometers in use today permit testing only one ear at a time. This type of instrument is quite adequate for threshold plotting, but it is not suited to perform the more advanced diagnostic tests and certain procedures used to detect various varieties of exaggeration and malingering. In order to perform these latter procedures, it is necessary that the instrument have the ability to deliver to each ear simultaneously a similar tone of variable intensity. Ideally this can be obtained by the use of two audiometers equally matched, or one can purchase the more advanced research type of instrument. This, of course, would involve purchasing a new, expensive instrument.
The advanced diagnostic tests and malingering procedures are qualitative rather than quantitative tests, and it is not vital that they be as accurate as a threshold audiogram. Therefore, the instrument illustrated below was devised. It is inexpensive and