If you’re a cyclist, you’re probably already familiar with bone conduction headphones. They’re the only type of headphones allowed on two wheels, as they leave your ears completely free to hear ambient sounds. That got us thinking: why not use these headphones for playing the flute? As you’ll see, they can be incredibly useful! Let’s dive in!

Overview

Among the ever-growing range of products, there’s one leading brand for bone conduction headphones: Shokz. A pioneer in the field, the company has continuously expanded its catalog and refined its products over the years, now offering some of the most advanced models on the market.

In their lineup, we used the OpenRun headset — the brand’s entry-level model — available in various colors to match your mood and personality. We kept it classic with the sleek black version.

The technology behind the headset is osteophony, or bone conduction — meaning the sound is transmitted to the inner ear via the bones in your skull. This health-safe process uses two transducers positioned in front of your ears, which transmit sound waves from your Bluetooth-connected audio source. The first try can feel a little unusual, but after a few minutes, you forget it’s even there — to the point where you might actually forget you’re wearing it. The sound feels as though it’s coming from a distant source and blends seamlessly with ambient noise, allowing you to have real conversations while the headset is still on.

Surprisingly, the sound quality is quite good. Of course, it won’t rival high-end headphones, but it offers a respectable experience — even for classical music listening.

Comfortable and ultra-lightweight, it disappears as long as the volume isn’t too high. At louder volumes, vibrations can become a bit unpleasant, but simply adjusting the volume resolves this instantly.

The headset comes with a proprietary charger. The design is clever, using small magnets to connect to the headset — practical and neat. However, you can’t just grab any old cable to charge it… That said, with upcoming EU regulations, the charging system will likely be updated to USB-C.

One small drawback: despite its bulky size, the headset doesn’t come with a storage case. A shame. That said, many specially designed cases are available online at very reasonable prices. We went with this model, which does the job perfectly.

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A Perfect Headset for Flutists!

After several months of use, we’d like to share three very interesting ways this headset can be used by flutists:

Play with accompaniment — in silence!

We’ve already introduced several platforms in our magazine that offer backing tracks — a fun and useful way to practice.

The issue is, to hear the track while playing, the volume usually needs to be quite high — sometimes too high for comfort, especially for your neighbors…

This is where bone conduction headphones come in handy. Playing the backing track through the headset allows you to hear it clearly without disturbing others, and still hear yourself play. It’s a great experience!

This setup is also fantastic for recording: your mic will pick up only your flute, not the backing track, which you can then add in post-production for better mixing. A total win!

Create a polyphonic recording

Very popular during the COVID era, polyphonic recordings took over video platforms. To make these recordings, you need to hear the previously recorded parts through headphones to sync up. With bone conduction headphones, you can hear both the other parts and yourself without any interference, leading to a better performance.

Rediscover the metronome!

Gone are the days of ticking pendulum metronomes. Nowadays, we all use our smartphones for tempo. Many metronome apps are packed with features to help you improve. The main issue? The sound: too quiet and you can’t hear it while playing; too loud and it’s distracting…

Again, this headset shines. Connected via Bluetooth to your phone, you get the metronome right in your ears — not too intrusive, not too faint. A fresh and effective way to revisit this essential tool.

Conclusion

This bone conduction headset is truly a fantastic find!

While not essential, it offers great benefits to flutists by addressing several shortcomings of conventional headphones.

If you already own this headset, we highly recommend incorporating it into your flute practice. If you don’t and are considering buying one for cycling or running — go for it! It will quickly become your favorite musical companion!

Article proposé par Thomas MALLET

Né en 1981 en région parisienne, Thomas MALLET débute la flute traversière au CRR de Saint-Maur des Fossés dans la classe de Michel Moraguès, puis celle de Philippe Lesgourgues, où il obtient en 2000 le CFEM mention très bien à l’unanimité.
Afin de poursuivre ses études, Thomas quitte la région parisienne pour s’établir à Rouen ou il obtient en 2005 son diplôme d’ingénieur et exerce depuis chez Axens, filiale de l’IFPEN.
De retour en région parisienne, Thomas reprend alors ses études musicales et intègre la classe d’Oscar Catalan à Boulogne Billancourt.