Algorithms 2026, 19(2), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/a19020134 (registering DOI) - 7 Feb 2026
Abstract
Speech enhancement aims to improve speech quality and intelligibility in noisy environments and is important in applications such as hearing aids, mobile communications and automatic speech recognition (ASR). This paper shows a structured review of speech enhancement techniques, classified depending on the channel
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Speech enhancement aims to improve speech quality and intelligibility in noisy environments and is important in applications such as hearing aids, mobile communications and automatic speech recognition (ASR). This paper shows a structured review of speech enhancement techniques, classified depending on the channel configuration and signal processing framework. Both traditional and modern approaches are discussed, including classical signal processing methods, machine learning techniques, and recent deep learning-based models. Furthermore, common noise types, widely used speech datasets, and standard evaluation metrics for evaluating speech quality and intelligibility are reviewed. Key challenges such as non-stationary noise, data limitations, reverberation, and generalization to unseen noise conditions are highlighted. This review presents the advancements in speech enhancement and discusses the challenges and trends of this field. Valuable insights are provided for researchers, engineers, and practitioners in the area. The findings aid in the selection of suitable techniques for improved speech quality and intelligibility, and we concluded that the trend in speech enhancement has shifted from standard algorithms to deep learning methods that can efficiently learn information regarding speech signals.
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