Allen & Heath · CQ-20B
Ready to buy
The retained reference is $999.99 current authorized U.S. reference. Add a qualified router or wired access point, at least two prepared control devices, approved SD media, rack protection and a power plan. Confirm the current configuration, included parts, support path, return terms and the work that must be preserved before ordering.
Current market
Each line carries its own check date because price, software, specifications, and product cycle do not age at the same speed.
Add a qualified router or wired access point, at least two prepared control devices, approved SD media, rack protection and a power plan. Confirm the checkout price and package before paying.
CQ-20B is the CQ to buy when the mixer should live on stage and the operator is prepared to engineer the control network as carefully as the audio patch.
Other paths
These are not generic competitors. Each one represents a different way to buy into the same market.
Allen & Heath
Soundcraft
What changed
Older observations stay in the ledger when the current view changes. That lets a buyer tell the difference between an old complaint, an active issue, and a problem that was corrected.
CQ-20B was checked against its manufacturer record, the current category collection and the nearest ownership alternatives.
Each amount stays tied to its source and capture date. Conflicting prices remain visible until the seller resolves them.
Current reference priceA structured timeline will begin with the next source capture
Owner experience
Owner discussion repeatedly returns to router placement, wired control, tablet charging, app compatibility, rack heat and emergency access rather than specifications alone.
These are self-reported experiences from a changing mix of owners, conditions and software versions. They identify questions to test, not a failure rate.Owners repeatedly discuss stagebox compatibility, bus counts, scene and firmware behavior, router design, remote-control recovery, recording media and service access; those self-reports are bounded experience, not failure rates or universal sound-quality conclusions.
Treat the control network and spare controller as required equipment, then rehearse continued audio and the recovery steps after each plausible control failure.
1 evidence recordSources
The page separates what a source states directly from what we conclude across sources.
Allen & Heath identifies CQ-20B as a 96kHz stagebox-format mixer with sixteen mic or line inputs, two stereo line inputs, six XLR monitor outputs, integrated dual-band Wi-Fi and 24-channel recording paths
$999.99 current authorized U.S. reference was retained from the current manufacturer or authorized-market record with package and availability qualifications kept visible.
Allen & Heath publishes setup, compatibility or service material that makes this purchase boundary explicit: The front panel is not a full mixing surface, so an external wired network, prepared controller and tested fallback procedure are part of the live system; integrated Wi-Fi and a second tablet do not protect against mixer, power or network failure
A current authorized multibrand collection exposes live price, stock, form factor, local I/O, channel count, recording, stagebox ecosystems and purchaser reviews while keeping a console listing separate from the cost of a complete live system.
Independent hands-on coverage compares surface workflow, remote control, buses, stagebox and recording paths across X32, WING, StudioLive, Ui and other digital mixers, with limitations attached to the tested console, firmware and application.
Field reviews compare compact surfaces and rack engines through real routing, fader, touchscreen, network, I/O, show and recording workflows rather than treating channel count or manufacturer sound claims as universal rankings.
Owners repeatedly discuss stagebox compatibility, bus counts, scene and firmware behavior, router design, remote-control recovery, recording media and service access; those self-reports are bounded experience, not failure rates or universal sound-quality conclusions.
CQ-18T represents the compact touchscreen band mixer branch at $1,099 current authorized U.S. reference.
Ui24R represents the browser-controlled recording stagebox branch at $1,499 current authorized U.S. reference.
The manufacturer record, current market collection, support material and independent category evidence were checked on August 16, 2026. The checkout package and regional support path still need verification. Owner reports are retained as bounded experience, not a reliability rate. Processed channels, local sockets, physical faders, mono or stereo buses, stagebox protocols and included versus optional network cards remain distinct. Wireless control is never treated as guaranteed or redundant by itself; a wired path, prepared fallback controller, power plan and rehearsed show restore are part of a remote rig. Firmware, apps, editor versions, show files, scenes, recall safes, clocking and recording media must be qualified together before a live event. Automated gain, feedback, dynamics and limiting tools do not guarantee intelligibility, hearing safety or regulatory compliance. Safe SPL and exposure management require competent operation and appropriate measurement, while mains distribution, grounding and temporary electrical work belong to qualified professionals following local rules. No record claims one preamp, sample rate, processing architecture or console sounds universally better, and owner reports remain bounded experience rather than reliability statistics.
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