The present invention provides an electromagnetic signal converter for an osteophone, comprising a soft magnetic yoke, an electrical coil arranged concentrically to the longitudinal axis of the yoke, an elastically suspended, soft-magnetic armature which, viewed in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the yoke, is separated from the yoke by a working air gap and can move along the longitudinal axis of the yoke, and a permanent magnet which is magnetized in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the yoke in order to generate a magnetic biasing voltage of the yoke and of the armature, characterized in that the permanent magnet and the coil do not overlap one another in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the yoke and that means is provided for dividing the magnetic flux that can be produced by the coil onto at least two flux paths, wherein one flux path runs outside of the permanent magnet, and characterized in that the permanent magnet, yoke and coil are surrounded in the signal converter of the invention by a soft magnetic housing which is separated by an air gap from the armature and from the yoke so that the magnetic flux which can be generated by the coil can be guided by the soft magnetic housing onto a flux path outside of the permanent magnet.