Allen & Heath SQ-Rack
Allen & Heath·Model SQ-Rack·allen-heath-sq-rack
Photos
Manufacturer product photography — the drawn faceplate above stays true to panel layout; these show the hardware itself.
About the Allen & Heath SQ-Rack
The Allen & Heath SQ-Rack puts the full 48-channel SQ processing core in a rack format: sixteen local preampsThe gain stage that lifts a mic’s tiny signal up to line level — the first thing a signal hits, and a big part of how a console sounds., SLink for remote stage boxesThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized., and an option-card slot for DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes., Waves, or MADIA pro digital format carrying 64 channels on one coax or optical cable. Point-to-point — one sender, one receiver, no network required.. It mixes monitors from SQ-MixPad with the same XCVI engine as the SQ-5/6/7 desks. The 2024+ answer for pro IEMIn-Ear Monitor — earpieces that replace floor wedges, feeding each player their own mix. The reason this whole rack exists. racks that outgrew tablet-mixer land.
The SQ-Rack is Allen & Heath's answer to a specific problem: you've graduated from a tablet-controlled personal mixer or a compact digital desk, your show's routing complexity has real teeth, and you still need everything to fit in a 3UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. rack that a single person can carry. It drops the full SQ processing core — the same XCVI FPGA engine powering the SQ-5, SQ-6, and SQ-7 consoles — into a rackmount chassis with no screen and no faders. Control happens from a tablet running SQ-MixPad, from a connected SQ desk acting as a surface, or from a DAWDigital Audio Workstation — the recording and playback software (Logic, Ableton Live, Pro Tools) at the center of a computer rig. over the 32×32 USB interface. This is a proper console's brain in a road case, not a toy.
Sixteen local combo preampsThe gain stage that lifts a mic’s tiny signal up to line level — the first thing a signal hits, and a big part of how a console sounds. and twelve XLRThe standard 3-pin locking connector for mics and balanced line signals — pin 1 is the shield, pins 2 and 3 carry the balanced pair. outputs cover a straightforward IEMIn-Ear Monitor — earpieces that replace floor wedges, feeding each player their own mix. The reason this whole rack exists. or monitor rig without touching any expanders, and SLink opens up 128 channels of bidirectional digital audio over a single EtherConAn Ethernet plug inside a rugged XLR-style locking shell — tour-grade network connections that can’t be yanked loose. cable to an AR-series stageboxThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized. when you need more. The option-card slot matters: drop in a DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. card and this box becomes a networked node in a larger audio-over-IP system; a MADIA pro digital format carrying 64 channels on one coax or optical cable. Point-to-point — one sender, one receiver, no network required. card and you're talking to a Pro Tools rig or a broadcast chain. At 40 watts nominal draw in a 3UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. frame, it's efficient enough to share a conditioner shelf without grief. The 96kHz engine is real — you're not giving up sample rateHow many times per second audio is measured when digitized — 48 kHz is the live standard; 96 kHz measures twice as often. for the compact format.
Pick the SQ-Rack if you're running an IEMIn-Ear Monitor — earpieces that replace floor wedges, feeding each player their own mix. The reason this whole rack exists. rig for a regional or touring act where show files, consistent gainHow much the preamp amplifies the incoming signal. Too low and you’re hunting through hiss; too high and peaks clip. structure, and recall matter more than saving a few hundred dollars, and where the gig is too large for a personal mixer but doesn't justify a full console at the monitor position. It earns its $2,999 price against the Behringer Wing Rack or a standalone digital stageboxThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized. only if you're actually using the processing depth and the option slot — if you're running eight inputs and six mixes, simpler and cheaper tools exist. The lack of physical faders is a genuine workflow consideration: in a fast changeover or a panic moment, software-only control adds a step, so have your SQ-MixPad scene management tight before doors.
In the rack
- Pre-build your show file with channel names, gate and compression defaults, and mix routing before load-in — the SQ-Rack's value is in recall, so treat every show file like a template you're refining, not starting from scratch.
- Run SLink to an AR2412 or AR84 stageboxThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized. at the stage lip and keep all your local preampsThe gain stage that lifts a mic’s tiny signal up to line level — the first thing a signal hits, and a big part of how a console sounds. free for console-adjacent sources like playback, commsProduction intercom — the wired or wireless party line connecting FOH, monitors, stage managers, and lighting during a show., or a local vocal mic at the rack — this splits your signal path cleanly and keeps long analog runs off the stage.
- If you're using the option card slot for DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes., assign a dedicated gigabit switch port with QoSQuality of Service — switch settings that let time-critical packets (like Dante’s clock) jump the queue ahead of bulk traffic. prioritized for audio traffic; sharing the network port casually with general backstage WiFi infrastructure will cause you problems mid-show.
- At 300mm deep and 4.5kg, it fits a shallow 4UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. section of a standard truck case with room above for a small patch bayA panel of front-facing jacks wired to everything behind it — re-route any signal with a short cable instead of climbing behind the rack. — plan the rack build around it rather than shoehorning it in last.
96kHz SQ engine in a rack — 16 preampsThe gain stage that lifts a mic’s tiny signal up to line level — the first thing a signal hits, and a big part of how a console sounds., SLink, option-card slot.
I/O Ports (6)
| Port | Connector | Direction | Signal | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mic/Line 1-16 | COMBO XLR TRS | input | analog audio | 16 |
| XLR Out 1-12 | XLR MALE | output | analog audio | 12 |
| SLink | ETHERCON | bidirectional | digital audio | 128 |
| Network | RJ45 | bidirectional | data | — |
| USB-B (32x32) | USB B | bidirectional | data | — |
- Power (IEC C14)
Deciding between two?
Rack space, watts, weight and every connector, side by side.
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