Allen & Heath · Qu-5
Ready to buy
The retained reference is $1,999.99 current authorized U.S. reference. Choose Qu-5 or the separate Qu-5D deliberately and price the exact SLink stagebox, approved cable, SD card, case and control network. 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.
Choose Qu-5 or the separate Qu-5D deliberately and price the exact SLink stagebox, approved cable, SD card, case and control network. Confirm the checkout price and package before paying.
Qu-5 fits a venue or production owner who wants current Allen & Heath processing and stagebox expansion in a familiar compact surface without paying for SQ's larger routing and option-card tier.
Other paths
These are not generic competitors. Each one represents a different way to buy into the same market.
Allen & Heath
Allen & Heath
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.
Qu-5 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 qu-5 versus qu-5d selection, slink protocol limits, custom layers, sd media and show-file migration 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.
Specify the exact console suffix and stagebox topology, then prove the show file, recording mode and controller versions on the production hardware before deployment.
1 evidence recordSources
The page separates what a source states directly from what we conclude across sources.
Allen & Heath identifies Qu-5 as a compact 38-input processing console with sixteen local preamps, seventeen motorized faders, twelve mixes, four matrices, SLink expansion and 32-channel recording paths
$1,999.99 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 standard Qu-5 has SLink but not the Qu-5D model's dedicated Dante interface, and adding stageboxes increases socket count rather than the console's thirty-eight-input processing ceiling
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.
SQ-5 represents the compact professional expanding surface branch at $3,999 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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