Halter Technical Peeko Overview
The Halter Technical Peeko is a miniaturized wired earpiece designed for low-profile, on-camera talent monitoring. To my knowledge, it is the smallest wired IFB earpiece currently available. The Peeko is offered in two cable lengths, 40 inch and 70 inch, and ships with a clothing clip, two ear tip options, a stereo-to-mono adapter, and a compact carrying case.
On Camera Visibility
The Peeko is exceptionally small. The cable is extremely thin, roughly the diameter of heavy fishing line, and the earpiece itself is nearly small enough to sit fully inside the ear canal. When worn on the side opposite to camera, it is effectively invisible in shot. For on camera talent cueing where visibility matters, this is one of the lowest-profile solutions available.
You can check out a recent Certified Angus Beef commercial I did where talent wore a Halter Technical Peeko for on camera talent cueing.
Sound Quality
Miniaturizing a driver to this degree inevitably involves sonic tradeoffs. That said, the Peeko sounds noticeably better than other earpieces of comparable size that I have used. Low frequency response is limited, which is expected given the form factor. However it delivers more low end than tube style stealth IFBs commonly used by reporters, such as those from Audio Implements. Midrange and high-frequency response are surprisingly smooth for the intended application. This is not a replacement for over-ear headphones or studio monitors, nor is it meant to be.
Final Conclusions
Within its use case of discreet talent monitoring, the Halter Technical Peeko performs outstandingly. It appears very well made and sounds great compared to other IFB earpieces. It is an excellent low-profile IFB solution, and its price point keeps it very competitive as an option to keep on hand.
While you can absolutely use this for TV news and broadcast work, I do not foresee it displacing the ubiquitous Audio Implements tube-style IFB earpieces, especially given how many reporters already have custom-molded earpieces for that system. That is okay, as the Peeko serves a different use case for me and has its own place in my equipment package. I find value in having both available.
This is the choice for when you do not want to see anything.
