The spectral acoustics of the sounds of speech as measured upon production are well known. But the spectral features of these sounds as they exist in the ear canal immediately prior to auditory reception are somewhat different from those typically cited, due most likely to the resonance characteristics of the external meatus. A recent pilot study using probe microphonics and spectral analysis revealed that the formant structures of the vowel sounds /i, u, ɜ/ as recorded in the ear canal were similar to those recorded outside of the ear, but the amplitude of the second formant was reduced in each case. These findings have potential implications for the importance of the second formant in the perception of these and other vowel sounds. The spectral structure of more vowels, consonants, and sounds in speech are yet to be explored when recording is performed from inside the external ear canal.