Allen & HeathSQ-5+ 48 Channel UltraFX Ready Digital Mixer
Manufacturer: Allen & Heath
Usually Ships in 2-3 Working Days
£2,995.00
The Allen & Heath SQ-5+ is a compact, 48 channel / 44 bus digital mixer built around a 96kHz XCVI core and equipped with premium RackUltra FX. With 17 motorised faders, a responsive 9” touchscreen and deep connectivity options, it is equally at home at front of house, on monitors, in AV rigs or fixed installations. Intelligent workflow tools, powerful processing on every channel and flexible I/O make it a serious hub for modern live sound, streaming and production setups.
Despite its small footprint, SQ-5+ delivers a full-fat mixing experience. You get comprehensive processing on every input and mix, ultra-low latency audio at up to 96kHz, and a choice of RackExtra and RackUltra FX engines for studio-grade reverbs, delays and vocal processing. The new dark GUI, chromatic metering and customisable layout keep you in control in any environment, while the built-in USB interface and SQ-Drive make multitrack recording, playback and virtual soundcheck straightforward.
Connectivity is designed to grow with your system. The 128×128 Intelligent SLink port opens the door to the Everything I/O ecosystem of stageboxes and expanders, and the I/O expansion slot supports Dante, MADI, Waves or additional SLink cards for complex multi-format systems. Add in advanced Automatic Mic Mixing, remote control apps and robust construction, and SQ-5+ becomes a flexible solution for touring engineers, venues, houses of worship, corporate AV and broadcast applications.
Whether you are upgrading from an analogue desk, standardising a rental fleet or specifying a powerful yet compact console for an install, SQ-5+ gives you flagship-class processing, intuitive control and serious expansion options in a 19” rack-mountable format.
Fast, Intuitive Workflow
At the heart of SQ-5+ is a 9” capacitive touchscreen with a new dark GUI, surrounded by high-grip illuminated encoders. Channels and mixes can be dragged and dropped to any strip, with custom naming and colour coding on the displays, so you can build a layout that matches the way you work. Patented chromatic channel metering gives instant visual feedback, and 8 assignable SoftKeys put your most-used functions under your fingertips, helping you react quickly to the show.
Flagship-Class Processing and FX
Every input channel is equipped with HPF, a fast gate with sidechain and filter, 4 band parametric EQ with RTA, compressor and delay, while every mix has parametric and 28 band graphic EQ plus compression. Eight RackExtra FX engines with dedicated stereo returns provide high quality reverbs, delays and modulation, and four additional RackUltra FX engines bring premium reverbs, vocal tuning, pitch processing, distortion and saturation derived from the dLive platform.
Flexible Recording, Streaming and Control
The built-in USB-B audio interface delivers up to 32×32 channels at 96kHz or 48kHz for multitrack recording, playback, streaming and virtual soundcheck, with class-compliant operation and ASIO/WDM driver support. SQ-Drive on the USB-A port lets you capture or play back up to 16 channels at 96kHz or 32 channels at 48kHz direct to a USB drive, without a computer. Faders, rotaries and SoftKeys can be mapped for DAW control via the Allen & Heath MIDI Control app, and free MixPad and SQ+4You apps offer powerful remote and personal monitoring control.
Expandable, Installation-Ready Design
With 16 mic/line inputs, 12 XLR outputs, stereo line inputs, AES3 digital out and headphone monitoring on board, SQ-5+ is ready to drop into a wide range of systems. The 128×128 Intelligent SLink port connects to Everything I/O stageboxes and other Allen & Heath consoles, while the I/O port accepts optional Dante, MADI, Waves or SLink cards for integration into larger networks. A rugged all-metal chassis and optional 19” rack kit make it suitable for both touring and fixed installations.
FEATURES
- 96kHz XCVI Core with 48 Input Channels - The XCVI processing engine runs at 96kHz with variable bit depth up to 96bit and sub-millisecond latency (less than 0.7ms), delivering pristine audio quality and tight, responsive mixing across 48 input processing channels and a stereo main LR bus.
- Powerful Onboard Processing and DEEP Ready - Full processing on every input and mix, including HPF, parametric EQ, compressor, gate, delay and switchable GEQ on mixes, gives you all the tools needed to shape your sound. DEEP processing support lets you add optional, zero-latency emulations of classic analogue hardware directly into your channels and mixes.
- RackExtra and RackUltra FX Engines - Eight RackExtra FX engines with dedicated stereo returns provide a comprehensive suite of reverbs, gated reverbs, delays and modulation, while four RackUltra FX engines add premium reverbs, vocal tuning and pitch processing, distortion and saturation, all with dedicated sends and returns for flexible routing.
- Comprehensive Connectivity and Expansion - A 128×128 Intelligent SLink port connects to the Everything I/O ecosystem and other Allen & Heath mixers, while the 64×64 I/O expansion slot supports optional Dante, MADI, Waves and SLink cards. Combined with USB multitrack, AES3 out, analogue I/O and advanced Automatic Mic Mixing, SQ-5+ is ready for complex live, install and broadcast systems.
Audio and Processing
- 96kHz XCVI Core with variable bit depth up to 96bit
- System latency: less than 0.7ms
- 48 input processing channels
- Stereo main LR output
- 12 mixes (mono/stereo, configurable as aux or group)
- 4 FX sends
- 4 RackUltra FX sends
- 6 mono or linkable stereo matrix mixes
- Full input processing: Trim, HPF, Gate/Expander, 4 band Parametric EQ, Compressor, Channel Delay
- Full mix processing: Graphic EQ, Parametric EQ, Compressor, Channel Delay
- Fully patchable insert points on all input and mix channels
- DEEP processing ready
- 8 RackExtra FX engines with dedicated stereo return channels and PEQ
- 4 RackUltra FX engines with dedicated stereo return channels and PEQ
- 2× 24 channel or 1× 48 channel zero latency DEEP Automatic Mic Mixer
- 2 Real Time Analysers
Digital I/O and Networking
- 128×128 Intelligent SLink port for Everything I/O expansion and system connections
- 64×64 I/O port for option cards (up to 128×128 with SLink card fitted)
- Supported option cards: SLink, Dante, Waves, MADI (card availability may vary)
- USB-A for stereo and multichannel audio record/playback and data transfer:
- Stereo at 48/96kHz, 24bit
- 16 channels at 96kHz, 24bit
- 32 channels at 48kHz, 24bit
- USB-B audio interface for multichannel record/playback:
- 32×32 at 48/96kHz, 16/24bit
- 1 AES3 stereo digital output socket
Analogue I/O
- 16 XLR mic/line input sockets
- 12 XLR output sockets
- 2 stereo line input sockets (each on 2× TRS)
- Additional stereo line input on 3.5mm TRS (where fitted)
- 1 XLR talkback socket
- 2 TRS output sockets
- Stereo headphone output
Control and Interface
- 17× 100mm motorised faders
- 6 customisable channel strip layers
- 8 assignable SoftKeys
- 9” capacitive touchscreen with dark GUI
- Configurable single/dual footswitch connection
- Configurable chromatic channel meter LEDs
- RJ45 network socket for control
- DAW control emulation via USB or TCP/IP
- Remote control via free apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android
- Compatible with ME personal monitoring range
System and Management
- 300 scene memories per show
- Channel safes and global/per-scene recall filters
- Libraries for FX, processing, channels, user permissions and input patching
- 10 configurable users with permissions to restrict operator access
- IEC mains connection with worldwide power supply
Physical
- Compact, all-metal chassis
- 19” rack mountable (optional rack kit available)
