In this guide: The short answer · The CQ range · The Qu range · Comparison table · Faders vs touchscreen · I/O and expansion · Processing and FX · Recording · Weight and transport · Where SQ sits · Which to choose · Popular picks · FAQ

The short answer

CQ is Allen & Heath’s ultra-compact, app-first range. Three models, no channel faders, a 7 inch touchscreen on two of them and no screen at all on the third, and a fixed I/O count you cannot expand. Everything is built around getting a small band, a school hall or a corporate breakout room mixed quickly, by someone who is not necessarily a full-time engineer.

Qu is the fader-per-channel range. The current Qu-5, Qu-6 and Qu-7 give you 17, 25 and 33 motorised faders respectively, a much larger socket count, and a 128×128 SLink port that puts a stagebox at the other end of a Cat5 run. All three share exactly the same DSP, so you are choosing surface size and socket count, not audio capability.

Put crudely: if you want the mixer to disappear into a bag and live on a tablet, buy CQ. If you want your hands on faders and room to grow, buy Qu. Every figure below comes from Allen & Heath’s published datasheets.

The CQ range: three models, one philosophy

Allen & Heath currently lists three CQ mixers: the CQ-12T, the CQ-18T and the CQ-20B. All three run 96kHz input and output processing with a custom bit depth up to 96-bit, all three are specified at under 0.7ms latency from a local mic input to the main L/R with all processing in or out, and all three offer 110dB dynamic range and a dedicated stereo Bluetooth input to mix for walk-in music without tying up a channel pair.

CQ-12T

The smallest of the three. Five XLR mic/line sockets plus five XLR/jack combi sockets give ten mono inputs, and with three stereo channels the datasheet quotes 13 inputs to mix. Outputs are a stereo main L/R on XLR plus six TRS aux outputs, linkable up to three stereo pairs. You get a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen with five screen keys, three SoftKeys, two multi-FX engines and a ten channel automatic mic mixer.

The important caveat is networking: the CQ-12T datasheet lists an RJ45 network socket with the mixer as a client but no built-in Wi-Fi, so to control it wirelessly you supply your own router. Both larger models have dual band Wi-Fi built in and act as host. At 2.4kg and 291 x 242 x 89mm the CQ-12T fits in a rucksack alongside cables.

CQ-18T

The same idea scaled up. Eight XLR plus eight combi sockets give sixteen mono inputs, and with three stereo channels the datasheet quotes 19 inputs to mix. Outputs are again two XLR for main L/R plus six TRS. The surface adds three configurable SoftRotaries alongside the three SoftKeys, a second headphone output, four mute groups, four DCAs, four multi-FX engines and a sixteen channel automatic mic mixer. Built-in dual band Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, auto channel) makes it self-sufficient out of the box. Weight is 3kg.

CQ-20B

This is the model most people mean when they search for a CQ-20B review. It is headless: the datasheet describes it as designed to be operated via its built-in Wi-Fi or over a wired or wireless network, and the feature list contains no touchscreen at all. Instead you get a configurable chromatic channel meter LED per input, so you can still see signal and set gain at the box.

In exchange for the screen you get the best I/O of the range. Sixteen mono inputs from eight XLR and eight combi sockets, two of the combis switchable to a 1MOhm Hi-Z instrument input with a JFET input stage, plus two stereo line input sockets, which is how it reaches 20 inputs to mix. Outputs jump to eight XLR sockets and two TRS alt outs, so unlike the desktop CQs your monitor sends are not going down quarter inch jacks. It runs from IEC mains rather than a 12V brick, and at 372 x 154 x 134mm and 2.6kg it is built to sit on stage in a rack or on the floor.

The Qu range: current generation and Qu Classic

Qu needs a clarification before the specs, because Allen & Heath’s own site splits it in two. The current generation is Qu-5, Qu-6 and Qu-7, each with an optional Dante variant badged Qu-5D, Qu-6D and Qu-7D. Alongside them sits a Qu Classic section covering the earlier Qu-16, Qu-24, Qu-32, Qu-Pac and Qu-SB. Those older models are still sold and supported, but they are a different platform, and confusing the two is the most common mistake in Qu shopping.

Qu-5, Qu-6 and Qu-7

All three run the 96kHz XCVI core with variable bit depth up to 96-bit and under 0.7ms latency, and all three have identical DSP: 38 inputs to mix made up of 32 mono linkable channels plus 3 stereo, a stereo main L/R, 12 mixes split as six mono or linkable aux/group and six stereo aux/group, four FX sends, four mono or linkable matrix mixes, and six multi-FX engines each with a dedicated stereo return channel and its own PEQ.

What changes across the three is the surface and the socket count:

• Qu-5: 16 combi mic/line sockets, 12 XLR outputs, 17 motorised 100mm faders, 10kg.
• Qu-6: 24 combi mic/line sockets, 16 XLR outputs, 25 motorised 100mm faders, 13.5kg.
• Qu-7: 32 combi mic/line sockets, 20 XLR outputs, 33 motorised 100mm faders. Allen & Heath’s published Qu-7 overview sheet does not quote a weight, so we are not going to guess one.

Every one of them also carries two stereo line input sockets, an XLR talkback socket, two TRS outputs, an AES3 stereo digital output, a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen, four customisable channel strip layers, eight SoftKeys, a 12V lamp socket and a footswitch connection. The D variants add a 16×16 Dante interface running at 48 or 96kHz.

Qu-SB and Qu-Pac (Qu Classic)

The Qu-SB is the faderless, screenless rack-mountable member of the Qu Classic family, and the model most directly comparable to a CQ-20B in concept. Its datasheet specifies 16 mono mic/line inputs on combined XLR and TRS sockets with AnaLOGIQ total recall preamps, one local stereo TRS input, 12 mix outputs on XLR, a stereo matrix out on TRS, four stereo FX engines ported from the iLive, and four groups, mute groups and DCA groups. DSP capacity is 32 mono plus 3 stereo, the extra inputs arriving over dSNAKE. Unpacked weight is 5.7kg, 4U rack mounted.

CQ vs Qu: comparison table

Faders versus touchscreen: the real dividing line

Everything else in this comparison is downstream of one question: do you want physical faders?

No CQ has channel faders. The CQ-12T and CQ-18T give you a 7 inch touchscreen with a dedicated rotary encoder, three SoftKeys, and on the CQ-18T three SoftRotaries that can auto-map to whatever is on screen. That is a well-designed interface and it is fast once learned, but it is fundamentally one-thing-at-a-time. You cannot ride two faders simultaneously, and you cannot glance across a surface and read the whole mix in one look. A Qu-6, by contrast, gives you 25 motorised faders across four customisable layers. For band mixing where the balance moves constantly, or for anyone coming off an analogue desk, that is the reason Qu still sells alongside a newer, cheaper, lighter range.

There is a middle path, though. Both ranges have free control apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, so a Qu can be mixed from a tablet at the back of the room exactly like a CQ, and a CQ can be driven from a laptop at front of house. Both also support personal monitoring: the current Qu is listed as compatible with the Allen & Heath ME range, and CQ has a dedicated personal monitoring mobile app for iOS and Android. Our in-ear monitor systems guide covers how that side of the rig fits together.

I/O and expansion: where Qu pulls away

A CQ is what it is. There is no audio expansion port on any of the three models, and the RJ45 socket is for control and networking, not remote I/O. If you buy a CQ-18T and next year the band adds a keyboard rig and a second vocalist, your options are to submix upstream or buy a bigger mixer. That is not a flaw for the job CQ is designed for, but it does mean specifying a CQ for the biggest input count you expect to need, not the one you need today.

Every current Qu carries a 128×128 SLink port for Allen & Heath’s Everything I/O ecosystem. In practice that means a single Cat5 run from the desk to a stagebox on stage with remote preamp control, and it means the desk can grow well past its own socket count: the Qu-7 has 32 local combi inputs and can still take remote I/O on top. For a venue installing infrastructure rather than buying a box, that is the whole argument. Our Qu vs SQ vs Avantis guide covers how SLink works across the wider range.

Networked audio is the other Qu-only feature. The D variants embed a 16×16 Dante interface at 48 or 96kHz, and every current Qu has an AES3 stereo digital output. No CQ has either. If you need to hand a digital split to a broadcast truck, a recording room or a building-wide Dante system, that decides it.

Processing, FX and automatic mic mixing

Both ranges give you far more processing than a comparable analogue desk, and the channel strips are broadly similar in shape: high pass filter, gate, four band fully parametric EQ, compressor and pan on inputs, with graphic or parametric EQ, compressor and delay on the mixes. Both include a real time analyser and a Feedback Assistant that identifies problem frequencies and applies notch filters.

Where they diverge is depth. The current Qu datasheets list DEEP processing explicitly: DEEP options on the compressor and on the 28 band graphic EQ, plus a 32 channel zero latency DEEP Automatic Mic Mixer, alongside a Feedback Assistant with eight simultaneous detectors, a Gain Assistant, 300 scene memories per show, user permissions and DAW control emulation. Six multi-FX engines with dedicated stereo return channels and their own PEQ round it out.

CQ has no DEEP models. Allen & Heath does not list DEEP processing anywhere in the CQ datasheets and it would be wrong to imply otherwise. What CQ has instead is aimed at speed and at inexperienced operators: source-optimised channel presets, automatic gain detection that sets preamp gain across multiple channels and then reduces gain during use to prevent clipping, and a Feedback Assistant with up to 16 filters. Its automatic mic mixer uses a D-Classic gain sharing algorithm with per-channel priority from -15dB to +15dB, across 16 channels on the CQ-18T and CQ-20B and 10 on the CQ-12T. FX engines number 2 on the CQ-12T and 4 on the CQ-18T and CQ-20B.

For a conference room, a school production or a church with a dozen radio mics, the CQ automatic mic mixer and gain assistance are what will save your evening. For a busy band mix, the Qu’s deeper dynamics options and eight-detector Feedback Assistant earn their keep. If you are still working out the system around the desk, the small venue PA system guide is a better starting point than either datasheet.

Recording: closer than you would expect

Multitrack recording is one area where CQ genuinely competes. Every current Qu records 16 channels at 96kHz or 32 at 48kHz to SDHC, 24-bit WAV, fully patchable. Every CQ also has an SD slot: the CQ-12T records and plays back 16 channels at either 48 or 96kHz, while the CQ-18T and CQ-20B record 16 at 96kHz or 24 at 48kHz. So at 96kHz a CQ-20B matches a Qu-7 for track count, and only at 48kHz does the Qu pull ahead. All the datasheets specify SDHC, 32GB, UHS-I, Class 10 for maximum channel counts, so buy a card that meets that and test it before the gig rather than on it.

Both ranges also work as a computer audio interface, though the connectors differ: CQ uses USB-B, with 16 channels each way on the CQ-12T, 24 in and 22 out on the CQ-18T and 24 in and 24 out on the CQ-20B. Current Qu uses USB-C at 32×32. The Qu-SB is again the outlier, with 18-track Qu-Drive recording at 48kHz.

Weight and transport

The numbers are stark, and for a self-loading band they may settle the whole decision. A CQ-12T is 2.4kg, a CQ-20B 2.6kg and a CQ-18T 3kg. A Qu-5 is 10kg and a Qu-6 is 13.5kg. A CQ goes in a soft case as hand luggage; a Qu-6 wants a proper flight case or a rack and two hands. If the mixer lives on a shelf and never moves, that is irrelevant. If you gig four nights a week in venues with stairs and no lift, it compounds.

Power is worth a glance too. The CQ-12T and CQ-18T run from an external 12V DC PSU, so there is a brick and a barrel connector to lose. The CQ-20B and every current Qu use IEC mains, which is one less proprietary part to replace.

Where SQ sits above Qu

If neither range fits, the next step up is SQ, and above that Avantis. SQ is where you go when you need more mix buses and deeper processing than Qu offers, typically for larger monitor worlds, theatre or touring, so do not buy a Qu-7 as a stepping stone if you already know you need SQ. That comparison has its own guide rather than being repeated here: read Allen & Heath Qu vs SQ vs Avantis for bus counts, processing and I/O across those three ranges.

Which should you buy?

Choose CQ if

• You carry your own gear and weight matters. Under 3kg against 10kg or more is not marginal.
• You are happy mixing from a tablet or phone and already work that way.
• Your input count is settled and modest: ten mono inputs on a CQ-12T, sixteen on a CQ-18T or CQ-20B, with no expansion path.
• You want a band to mix itself from the stage. A CQ-20B plus a tablet, with Hi-Z inputs for a guitar or bass straight in, is built for exactly this.
• The operator is not a full-time engineer. Channel presets and automatic gain setting shorten the learning curve considerably.
• You want 96kHz and Bluetooth walk-in music in the smallest possible box.

Choose Qu if

• You want faders under your hands. This is the single best reason to buy Qu over CQ and needs no other justification.
• You need more than sixteen local mic inputs. Only Qu-6 and Qu-7 give you 24 and 32 respectively.
• You need a stagebox. The 128×128 SLink port is on every current Qu and on no CQ.
• You need Dante or AES3 to hand audio to a broadcast feed, a recording room or another system.
• You need 12 mixes plus four matrix outputs. CQ gives you six aux outputs and a main L/R.
• You run larger scene lists, or need user permissions to lock down what a volunteer can touch.
• You want the DEEP compressor and GEQ models and a 32 channel DEEP automatic mic mixer.

One honest note on the overlap: a Qu-SB sits between the two ranges. It is faderless and screenless like a CQ-20B and similar in intent, but it is 48kHz Qu Classic hardware with dSNAKE expansion rather than SLink. Buy it if you specifically want Qu Classic DSP, dSNAKE AudioRacks or ME personal mixing compatibility in a 4U rack. If you are choosing on signal path alone, a CQ-20B is 96kHz and roughly half the weight.

Popular picks from the shop

Frequently asked questions

Is the CQ range as good as Qu on sound quality?

On the headline figures they are extremely close. Both CQ and the current Qu run 96kHz processing with custom bit depth up to 96-bit, both specify 110dB dynamic range and +0/-0.5dB from 20Hz to 20kHz, and both quote under 0.7ms latency from a local mic input to the main L/R. The differences are control surface, I/O, expansion and processing depth, not a step change in audio performance. The older Qu-SB runs at 48kHz with 1.2ms latency, so a CQ has the more modern signal path than that.

CQ-12T vs CQ-18T: which should I get?

Three things separate them. Input count: 10 mono mic/line inputs against 16. Wi-Fi: the CQ-18T has built-in dual band Wi-Fi and acts as host, while the CQ-12T lists only an RJ45 socket as a client, so you supply the access point. Surface and FX: the CQ-18T adds three SoftRotaries, four mute groups, four DCAs, a second headphone output and four FX engines against two. If you will ever need more than ten mic inputs, get the CQ-18T. The weight difference is only 600g.

Is a CQ good enough for a band?

Yes, and it is arguably the range’s strongest use case. A CQ-20B gives a band 16 mono inputs with two switchable Hi-Z instrument inputs, four stereo channels, eight XLR outputs for monitor sends, six aux mixes, Bluetooth for walk-in music, 16 track recording at 96kHz and built-in Wi-Fi, all in 2.6kg. Mixed from a tablet on stage it covers most pub, club and function work. The reservation is the callout above: with no screen on the mixer, you depend on a device, so carry a second one.

What is the best compact digital mixer for a small UK venue?

It depends on who operates it. For a venue with a rotating cast of visiting engineers and volunteers, a Qu-5 or Qu-6 is easier to hand over: faders are self-explanatory and user permissions lock down the rest. Where there is a resident operator happy on a tablet and cupboard space is tighter, a CQ-18T covers a lot of ground. If the venue is installing cable infrastructure, the SLink port on Qu usually wins, because it means a single Cat5 run to stage instead of a multicore.

Does the CQ have DEEP processing?

Allen & Heath does not list DEEP processing on any CQ model. DEEP compressor and graphic EQ models, and the 32 channel DEEP Automatic Mic Mixer, are specified on the current Qu-5, Qu-6 and Qu-7. CQ’s toolkit is different in kind: source-optimised channel presets, automatic gain detection and clip protection, a Feedback Assistant with up to 16 filters, and a D-Classic gain sharing automatic mic mixer.

Do I need the Dante version?

Only if you are connecting to a Dante network. The Qu-5D, Qu-6D and Qu-7D add a built-in 16×16 Dante interface at 48 or 96kHz, which matters for broadcast feeds, multi-room installs and networked recording rigs. Otherwise buy the standard variant. Dante is Qu-only here: no CQ offers it.