Abstract
A combination of reflection and distortion mechanism within the inner ear self generate soft tones when they are stimulated with acoustic energy. Thus, the auditory system does not satisfy the principles of superposition and is nonlinear. Current literature have used clicks, and combination of tones to study these OtoaÂcoustic Emissions (OAE). This work uses the synchronized swept-sine and deconÂvolution techniques to examine non-linearities that may exist in the outer, middle and inner ear, by virtue of OAE and nonlinearities of structures that conduct acoustic energy throughout the ear peripheral. These include but are not limited to the harmonic distortions that may exist in the ear drum, ossicles, the oval winÂdow and in the cochlea. A real ear's response is compared to a cochlear simulator and it was observed that they both recorded significant higher order harmonics while the real ear exhibited a more vivid second and third order harmonics. The measuring probe used to deliver and record the sine-sweep was also found to conÂtribute significantly its inherent distortions to the ear's response. The generation mechanisms of OAE are not yet well understood so more research is needed. By so doing we can then improve: hearing aids, cochlear implants, audio codecs and psycho-acoustic models, diagnostics etc. Several hints are given for future research into harmonic distortions and noise in the auditory peripherals.