A new year often signifies a time of change and new beginnings.For Amanda Pless, 7, this year brought new opportunities to enter a world of sound.Last month, Amanda received a cochlear implant, a breakthrough device placed in the inner ear that has increased the hearing potential for more than 20,000 individuals and ignited debate among specialists.Unlike hearing aids, which merely amplify sounds and broadcast them into the ear, implants transmit sound signals directly to the auditory nerve.A microphone picks up sound waves and a speech processor converts them into electrical signals which are fed via electrodes to the nerves that carry sound information to the brain.