Allen & Heath · SQ-5
Ready to buy
The retained reference is $3,999 current authorized U.S. reference. Price stageboxes, the exact network card and licenses, supported cable, case, router, recording storage and a regional service 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.
Price stageboxes, the exact network card and licenses, supported cable, case, router, recording storage and a regional service plan. Confirm the checkout price and package before paying.
SQ-5 fits production owners who need forty-eight channels, flexible stereo monitors, matrices and a credible growth path while keeping the surface rack-mountable.
Other paths
These are not generic competitors. Each one represents a different way to buy into the same market.
Allen & Heath
Behringer
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.
SQ-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 option-card availability, stagebox compatibility, add-on licensing, fader-layer density and show-file discipline 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.
Draw the complete audio and control topology, list each paid option, and test show transfer, recall safes and multitrack media on the intended firmware before the first event.
1 evidence recordSources
The page separates what a source states directly from what we conclude across sources.
Allen & Heath identifies SQ-5 as a rack-mountable 96kHz console with forty-eight input channels, thirty-six buses, sixteen local preamps, seventeen motorized faders, SLink and an audio-network option-card slot
$3,999 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: SQ-5 includes SLink but Dante, Waves, MADI and a second SLink connection require the correct option card, while DEEP processing and other add-ons may require separate entitlements
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.
Qu-6 represents the larger local-i/o qu surface branch at $2,999.99 current authorized U.S. reference.
WING Compact represents the compact high-capacity motorized surface branch at $2,799 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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