What anatomical structure does sound pass through after the tympanic membrane?

After sound waves hit the tympanic membrane, they create vibrations which then pass into the ossicles. The ossicles are a chain of three tiny bones known as the malleus, incus, and stapes located in the middle ear. These bones amplify and transmit the vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the oval window, an opening to the inner ear. This process is crucial for the transduction of sound into a form that can be interpreted by the brain.

The auricle, on the other hand, is the outer part of the ear that collects sound waves; it does not play a role in the transmission following the tympanic membrane. The cochlea is involved in the final steps of hearing, converting sound vibrations into neural signals, but it receives vibrations from the oval window rather than directly from the tympanic membrane. CN8, or the vestibulocochlear nerve, transmits auditory information to the brain, but it is involved after the sound has been processed by the inner ear structures. Thus, the ossicles are the correct anatomical structures through which sound passes immediately after the tympanic membrane.