Allen & Heath SQ-5 48-Channel 96kHz Digital Mixer, 16+1 Motor Faders

Allen & Heath SQ-5: 96 kHz Console Power in the Most Compact SQ Frame

The Allen & Heath SQ-5 is a 48-channel, 96 kHz digital mixing console built around the fast XCVI FPGA core, packed into the smallest surface in the SQ range. It pairs 16 recallable AnalogiQ preamps and 16 plus 1 motorized faders with a 7-inch touchscreen, giving one engineer a genuinely professional desk that still fits on a modest table or in a compact rack. The SQ-5 exists for the operator who wants class-leading audio and low latency without the footprint or cost of a larger console. It is the mixer you grow into rather than out of, because the engine underneath is the same one that drives its bigger siblings. Buy it once and it becomes the desk your best-sounding shows are mixed on.

The 96 kHz XCVI Core and Why Latency Matters

At the heart of the SQ-5 is the XCVI FPGA core running a full 96 kHz sample rate with total system latency under 0.7 milliseconds. A high sample rate widens the usable audio bandwidth and keeps phase behavior clean, while ultra-low latency is what makes in-ear monitor mixes feel natural rather than smeared or delayed. Latency is the gap between a performer making a sound and hearing it back, and above a few milliseconds it becomes audible and distracting on stage. By keeping that figure under 0.7 ms even with processing engaged, the SQ-5 stays transparent to musicians wearing in-ear monitors. That combination of high resolution and near-zero delay is the technical foundation the whole console is built on.

Sixteen Recallable AnalogiQ Preamps

The SQ-5 provides 16 plus 1 recallable AnalogiQ mic/line preamps, the digitally-controlled analog gain stage Allen & Heath uses across its professional consoles. Recallable means the gain setting for every input is stored inside each scene, so recalling a saved show snaps all preamps back to their exact levels instead of leaving you to reset them by ear. That total recall is transformative for venues that host different acts night after night or reset between worship services. The combo XLR/TRS inputs take microphones and line sources interchangeably, with switchable phantom power for condensers and active DIs. Clean, quiet preamps are what let the rest of the signal path perform, and the SQ range is consistently praised for its front end.

Faders, Layers and a Seven-Inch Touchscreen

Hands-on control comes from 16 plus 1 motorized faders arranged across 6 layers, so 96 potential fader assignments live under a compact surface, each snapping to the right position as you switch layers. The 7-inch capacitive touchscreen sits at the center of the workflow, giving fast visual access to EQ curves, dynamics, routing and metering, while 8 assignable SoftKeys map frequent actions to a single press. Motorized faders matter because they show the true level of whatever layer you are on at a glance, rather than forcing you to remember hidden values. The result is a desk that stays quick to operate under pressure despite its small footprint. It feels like a big console shrunk down, not a small one stretched.

DEEP Processing and the Automatic Mic Mixer

The SQ-5 is DEEP processing compatible, meaning it can host emulations of high-end studio compressors and EQs that run directly inside channels and buses with no outboard gear and no added latency. It also includes an integrated dual 24-channel Automatic Mic Mixer, which automatically manages gain across many open microphones to keep speech clear and feedback-free. That AMM is a decisive feature for houses of worship, conferences and panel discussions where a dozen or more mics are live at once and manual riding is impossible. Together, DEEP processing and the AMM let the SQ-5 replace racks of outboard and a second operator. It is processing depth aimed squarely at real, difficult live situations.

Effects, Mixes and Matrix Routing

Eight RackExtra FX engines supply reverbs, delays and modulation on dedicated sends and returns, so a full show's worth of effects lives inside the console. Output routing spans 12 stereo mixes plus the main LR and 3 stereo matrix outputs, enough to feed many monitor mixes, drive fills and delay zones, and send a separately-processed blend to broadcast or an overflow room. The matrix builds custom mixes of your groups and mixes for distributed systems, which is exactly what large rooms and multi-zone venues need. This routing depth is what separates a real console from a simple mixer. On the SQ-5 it arrives in a chassis small enough to carry to the gig yourself.

SLink Expansion, Option Cards and 96 kHz USB

Connectivity keeps the SQ-5 from ever being boxed in: the SLink port connects the entire Everything I/O expander range, letting you place stageboxes exactly where the sources are and run them back over a single cable. A dedicated option card slot accepts Dante, Waves SoundGrid, MADI and other network cards, so the console drops into any studio or broadcast infrastructure. Onboard 96 kHz USB audio records and plays up to 32x32 channels for multitrack capture, virtual soundcheck and studio work with no interface required. That means the same desk that mixes the show can archive it and line-check the next one without the band present. It is a platform engineered to expand with the room and the workflow.

Where the SQ-5 Fits and Who It Is For

The SQ-5 suits live sound for bands and venues, houses of worship, theater and corporate AV, broadcast and recording, and dedicated monitor mixing. First-timers get a coherent touchscreen workflow that scales as their skills grow, while seasoned engineers get total-recall preamps, DEEP processing and full matrix routing in the most portable SQ body. Anyone comparing it to the SQ-6 or SQ-7 is really choosing how many physical faders and preamps they want, since all three share the identical 96 kHz engine. Reviewers consistently praise its pristine audio, fast workflow and surprising power for the size. For an engineer who wants flagship SQ sound in the smallest possible desk, the SQ-5 is the one to own.