Allen & Heath DX168 Stage Box

The DX168 is Allen & Heath's mid-size stage box — sixteen analog inputs and eight analog outputs housed in a 3U rackmount chassis, all transported back to the console over a single SLink connection on shielded Cat5e. SLink is A&H's proprietary network, functionally their answer to AES50, and this box exists to solve the oldest live-audio problem: getting a lot of microphone signals off the stage and to your console without running a snake thick enough to trip a drummer. It's the natural stage-end complement to any SQ, Avantis, or dLive system, and for those ecosystems it's the cleanest, most integrated answer available.

At load-in, the single-cable discipline matters more than it sounds. One Cat5e run — shielded, locking EtherCon on both ends — carries everything in both directions, which means your stage pocket needs one cable path to the console, not a bundle. The two SLink ports let you daisy-chain a second DX168 or DX32 off the same console port, so a 32-input rig doesn't require a second network run back to FOH. At 30 watts nominal draw with a 45-watt ceiling, it's easy on your stage rack's power budget. The 330 mm depth is worth checking against shallow rack lids, but 5.5 kg means it won't fight you during a fast hang.

If you're already on A&H — SQ for club work, Avantis for mid-size touring, dLive for the big rigs — the DX168 belongs in your system without much debate. The preamps are the same platform you chose the console for, gain is controlled from the surface or tablet, and the ecosystem just works. If you're on a different console family, it doesn't belong here at all; SLink is proprietary and there's no workaround. For straight A&H users whose input count exceeds 16, the daisy-chain option buys you time before you need to step up to a DX32, and that alone can justify the decision.