-KeyThe sound pathway & hearing loss
Sound is collected at each ear and travels inward — through the middle-ear bones and the cochlea, then along the auditory nerve to the shared brain. Set the left and right ears independently to show where each type of hearing loss interrupts the signal.
Both ears → one shared brain
Watch the signal flow inward on each side. A blockage in the outer/middle ear weakens conductive states; damage in the cochlea or nerve weakens sensorineural states. Bone conduction shows why the skull-bypass route restores signal in conductive loss but not in sensorineural loss, while a hearing aid amplifies the pathway — restoring near-normal signal in conductive loss and giving real, if limited, benefit once there is cochlear damage.
Educational illustration only — the underlying anatomy is a stylised medical illustration and the interactive signal, faults, and the bone-conduction and hearing-aid responses are schematic overlays; real amplification benefit varies from person to person. Sound entering the right ear (red) is shown crossing to the left side of the brain, and sound entering the left ear (blue) crossing to the right side — a simplified view of the real central auditory pathways. Each ear is set manually. This is not a diagnosis. Discuss your own hearing and care with your audiologist or physician.