Mixing consoles
Allen and Heath SQ-5 vs SQ-6
Quick answer
The SQ-5 and SQ-6 run the same engine and the same 48 channels, so the $1,000 difference buys 8 more preamps and 8 more faders. Buy the SQ-6 at $4,999.00 only if 24 onboard preamps removes a stage box from the project, otherwise the SQ-5 is the same console for less.
Allen & Heath SQ-5 Digital Mixer, 48 Input Channels, 7" Capacitive Touchscreen, Automatic Mic Mixing, 32×32 USB Audio Interface
$3,999.00 Specs and sizingForty-eight channels, 36 buses and 16 onboard preamps on a 17 fader surface, at the lowest price of entry to the SQ engine.
Best for: A 500 seat and up sanctuary with a paid or highly skilled operator, or a multi-campus standard
Check price on Amazon
Allen & Heath SQ-6 Digital Mixer, 48 Input Channels, 7" Colour Touchscreen, 24 Onboard Preamps, 25 Faders, 16 SoftKeys AES Digital Output
$4,999.00 Specs and sizingThe same engine with 24 preamps and 25 faders, so more of the input list reaches the surface without paging through layers.
Best for: A large room where the whole band needs to be reachable without paging through layers
Check price on AmazonBuy the SQ-5 unless 24 onboard preamps means you can skip a stage box entirely, in which case the SQ-6 is close to free. Everything that makes an SQ an SQ, the 96 kHz engine, the sub-millisecond latency, the 48 channels, the 36 buses and the automatic microphone mixer, is identical on both.
This is the cleanest comparison on the site because there is nothing to argue about in the audio path. The decision is preamps and faders, and both are countable. Get your input list onto the mixer channel calculator and the answer is arithmetic.
Side by side
| Model | Price | Input channels | Mic preamps | Mix buses | Faders | Motorized faders | Digital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen & Heath SQ-5 Digital Mixer, 48 Input Channels, 7" Capacitive Touchscreen, Automatic Mic Mixing, 32×32 USB Audio Interface | $3,999.00 | 48 | 16 | 36 | 17 | Yes | Yes |
| Allen & Heath SQ-6 Digital Mixer, 48 Input Channels, 7" Colour Touchscreen, 24 Onboard Preamps, 25 Faders, 16 SoftKeys AES Digital Output | $4,999.00 | 48 | 24 | 36 | 25 | Yes | Yes |
Where the difference pays for itself
The SQ-6 premium is only good value at one specific input count: between 17 and 24 physical inputs, where it removes a stage box that the SQ-5 would need.
Between 17 and 24 physical inputs the SQ-6 is the cheaper complete system, because it saves a stage box that would otherwise cost $500 or more.
| Physical inputs | SQ-5 configuration | SQ-6 configuration | Cheaper system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 16 | Console alone | Console alone | SQ-5 |
| 17 to 24 | Console plus a stage box | Console alone | Often the SQ-6 |
| 25 to 32 | Console plus a stage box | Console plus a stage box | SQ-5 |
| 33 and up | Console plus a large stage box | Console plus a large stage box | SQ-5 |
Above 24 inputs both consoles need the same stage box, so the extra preamps stop earning anything and the difference becomes 8 faders.
Choose the SQ-5 in most churches
Most churches that can justify an SQ at all are building a system with a stage box anyway, because the platform is thirty or more feet from the booth and a copper snake of that length is an unpleasant object. Once a stage box is in the project, the SQ-6 extra preamps sit unused and the buyer is paying a thousand dollars for eight faders.
Seventeen faders on the SQ-5 is enough for a well-built layer plan: vocals and speech on layer one, band on layer two, buses and DCAs on layer three. A volunteer who only ever touches layer one never knows the others exist. That is how these consoles are meant to be set up, and it is covered in the console selection guide.
Spend the saved money on the stage box and the cable. A shielded Cat 6A run to the platform is worth more to reliability than eight faders are to convenience.
Choose the SQ-6 when everything lands on the console
There is a real configuration where the SQ-6 wins: a booth close to the platform, an input list between 17 and 24, and no appetite for a second box in the signal chain. A church in that position buys one console, runs 24 cables, and has no network in the audio path at all. That is a genuinely more robust system, and for an installation with no on-site technician it is worth the money.
Twenty-five faders also matters if a skilled operator mixes a band live rather than recalling a scene and riding four channels. Reaching the whole band without paging is a real workflow gain for someone who mixes dynamically.
What the SQ-6 does not buy is capability. Same channels, same buses, same latency, same automatic microphone mixer. Anyone telling a committee the SQ-6 is a bigger console is describing the surface, not the machine.
Sources
- Allen and Heath published SQ series specifications
- Allen and Heath dSNAKE and SLink expander documentation
Frequently asked questions
Do the SQ-5 and SQ-6 sound identical?
Yes. Same 96 kHz engine, same preamp design, same processing, same converters, same published latency. A show file built on one loads on the other. Anybody presenting the SQ-6 as a sonic upgrade is describing a fader count. The only audio-relevant difference is that more inputs can arrive without passing through a stage box.
How many faders does a church volunteer actually use?
On a normal Sunday, four to eight. Vocals, the preaching microphone, a band submix or DCA, and playback. Everything else is set in a scene and left alone. That is why the SQ-5 seventeen faders is sufficient for most rooms, and why fader count is a poor place to spend a thousand dollars of a church budget.
What stage box do these consoles use?
The SQ family uses dSNAKE and SLink, which is not the AES50 standard the X32 family uses, so stage boxes do not cross between the two platforms. Budget for an Allen and Heath expander rather than assuming an existing box will work. This is a common and expensive surprise late in a project.
Is the SQ-7 worth considering instead?
For a very large room with a dedicated operator, the SQ-7 adds more faders and more onboard preamps again on the same engine. The same logic applies: it is a surface upgrade, not an engine upgrade. Decide it on your physical input count and on who is operating, not on the model number.
Can either handle in-ear monitors for a full band?
Both, comfortably. Thirty-six buses is enough for eight individual in-ear mixes, wedge feeds, a livestream bus and effects sends with room left over. The sub-millisecond latency is the reason these consoles are specified for in-ear work in the first place, and it is identical across the family.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published manufacturer specifications, operator manuals, FCC rules, published standards and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Sound system design, rigging loudspeakers overhead, and any electrical work are jobs for a qualified professional: have flown loudspeakers and their attachment points signed off by a structural engineer or a certified rigger, and have all wiring done by a licensed electrician to your local code. Wireless microphone rules change, so confirm the current FCC position before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.