This isn’t a true hearing test but is a test of the function of the tympanic membrane (the eardrum). Tympanometry may make clear the distinction between conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss when the standard Rinne and Weber tests are not conclusive. This painless procedure involves placing a probe in the ear canal, changing the pressure in the ear, generating a tone and measuring how the tympanic membrane reacts at different air pressures.