The outer ear
The outer ear consists of the pinna (the part we can see), and the ear canal down to the eardrum. This part of the ear has several functions relating to hearing. The pinna acts like a funnel; it collects sounds and directs them down our ear canal. The pinna, to a small extent, also rejects sounds coming from behind us, and assists in determining the location of a source of sound.

The pinna and the ear canal, in addition to functioning as a conduit, also amplify some frequencies of sound so that the outer ear performs a filtering action. It tends to enhance sounds in the frequency range important for the discrimination of speech. The outer ear is a mechanical system, or a "conductive" system.