Sound bath in headphones: live sounds, right inside the listening
Singing bowls, gongs and harmonic instruments played live, captured by a microphone and brought into every participant’s headphones: a different way to experience a sound bath, even outdoors or where the sound would get lost.
When it makes sense to take a sound bath into headphones
A sound bath in a room is also felt with the body: the vibration of the gong, the instruments placed around you. Headphones do not try to replace that, but they solve some very practical problems.
Outdoors the most delicate sounds vanish within a few metres; in large spaces those far from the instruments hear little; in noise-sensitive places such as hotels or old town centres, a gong is not always welcome. In headphones everyone receives the finest details, the player’s breath and the guiding voice, at the volume they prefer.
Many practitioners combine the two: part of the session with instruments in the room, part in headphones with microphones close to the instruments.
What you gain
Details a room would swallow
The long tail of a bowl, the rustle of an ocean drum: the microphone brings them to the ear.
Open and large spaces
Gardens, beaches, rooftops: the sound arrives whole even far from the instruments.
Noise-sensitive venues
Hotels, historic centres, offices: no gong echoing into the next room.
Voice and instruments together
Guide the breath between sounds without raising your voice.
How to set it up
Microphones on the instruments
One or more microphones close to the instruments, connected to a small mixer.
Mixer into the transmitter
The mixer goes into the fixed transmitter with a cable; your voice runs through the same mixer.
Headphones to participants
Start with a low volume: in headphones harmonic sounds are much closer than in a room.
The kit for a sound bath
SX-839 V2
HiFi · over-ear · 3 channelsSoft cups that wrap around the ear and keep the noise out: the headphone for long practices, meditation and yoga nidra. The lights switch off, so the room stays dark during relaxation.
- Channels
- 3
- Battery
- up to 14 h*
- Lights
- can be switched off
- Cups
- over-ear
TX-350 BT
Fixed · with batteryFor teaching from a fixed spot or plugging in a mixer: RCA cables, Bluetooth or microphone, and a built-in battery for rooftops and lawns without sockets.
- Type
- fixed, with battery
- Range
- up to 400 m
- Inputs
- RCA, Bluetooth, microphone
- Power
- battery or mains
TX-500
Fixed · high powerThe transmitter for stages and large areas: it connects to the DJ’s or sound engineer’s mixer and covers festivals, squares and classes with hundreds of people.
- Type
- fixed, metal housing
- Range
- up to 400 m
- Power
- 10–100 mW, adjustable
- Input
- RCA from the mixer
* Battery life depends on volume, channel changes and how the headphones are used.
Practical tips
- Careful volume. Gongs and bowls have strong peaks: set the mixer so the loudest strikes stay comfortable in headphones, and invite everyone to start low.
- Microphones and mixer. We supply headphones and transmitters; instrument microphones and the mixer usually come with the player. If you are missing them, say so in your request and we will find a way.
- Sound check. Do a full test the day before: in headphones every microphone noise can be heard.
- Gentle start and end. Open and close with soft sounds: in headphones the ear is very close to the source.
Questions about sound baths in headphones
Do headphones replace the vibration of the instruments?
No, and that is not the aim: the physical vibration of a gong is only felt in the room. Headphones bring the details of the sound and the voice to people who would otherwise miss them. Many combine both in the same session.
Do I need a technician?
For a simple setup, one or two microphones and a small mixer, no. For more complex setups or large events one of our technicians can support you: ask in your quote request.
Which headphone works best?
The over-ear SX-839, which wraps the ear and renders the gong’s low end and the long tails of the bowls better.
Take your practice into headphones
Tell us where you practise, when and with how many people: you get a tailored proposal within one working day.