Understanding degraded speech is demanding, requiring increased listening effort (LE). Evaluating processed and unprocessed speech with respect to LE can objectively indicate if speech enhancement systems benefit listeners. However, existing methods for measuring LE are complex and not widely applicable. In this study, we propose a simple method to evaluate speech intelligibility and LE simultaneously without additional strain on subjects or operators. We assess this method using results from two independent studies in Norway and Denmark, testing 76 (50+26) subjects across 9 (6+3) processing conditions. Despite differences in evaluation setups, subject recruitment, and processing systems, trends are strikingly similar, demonstrating the proposed method's robustness and ease of implementation into existing practices.

翻译：理解降质语音具有挑战性，需要增加听力负荷（LE）。通过LE评估处理与未处理语音，可客观反映语音增强系统是否对听者有益。然而，现有LE测量方法复杂且适用性有限。本研究提出一种简易方法，可在不增加受试者或操作者负担的同时评估语音可懂度与LE。我们通过挪威和丹麦两项独立研究的结果验证该方法，共在9种（6+3）处理条件下测试76名（50+26）受试者。尽管评估设置、受试者招募及处理系统存在差异，其趋势表现出高度相似性，证明了所提方法的鲁棒性及易于融入现有实践流程的特点。