Effects of hardness and dimension of pinna and auricular hematoma on detection threshold of cartilage conduction.

In cartilage conduction (CC), a vibrator is presented onto the cartilage of the ear instead of the bony parts of the head used in ordinary bone conduction (BC). Because the auricle cartilage is softer and lighter than the bone, it doesn't require as much pressure as BC, which may cause discomfort (or pain) in the area where a BC transducer is being pressed. However, CC is a relatively new technology, and whether the less dense characteristics of cartilage, which varies from person to person, result in a better sound perception is still being studied.