Allen & Health have announced the addition of six new mixer models to their popular Qu Series. The latest members of the Qu family boast 96kHz FPGA and DEEP Processing capabilities, Dante connectivity options and a whole host of other enhancements, and will be offered alongside the existing 48kHz-capable models.
The range comprises three frame sizes, each of which are available with or without integrated Dante connectivity. While the new additions retain the recognisable look and layout of the original Qu series, Allen & Health say that they have made numerous hardware improvements including updated mic preamps and high-performance 96kHz converters. Every channel now includes a display and a chromatic meter for enhanced visual feedback, and a new touchscreen offers improved clarity and responsiveness. The new generation has been designed to expand on the ‘walk up and mix’ ethos established by the original Qu models, introducing powerful features such as four custom fader layers, more assignable SoftKeys and some flexible routing options that join the classic Qu’s 1:1 channel patching.
Additionally, each of the new Qu mixers is DEEP Processing ready, and an upcoming V1.1 firmware update will kit them out with a suite of optional add-ons taken from the flagship dLive series, including acclaimed emulations of legendary studio compressors and preamps. The company have also implemented the Feedback and Gain Assistant features from the CQ Series.
“Every aspect of the mixer has been rethought: the XCVI core, enhanced I/O capability, all the way to the screen and faders. We’ve completely reimagined the UI, keeping the simple layout and workflow that Qu is known and loved for.” - Keith Johnson, Senior Product Manager, Allen & Heath
The new Qu Series includes three frame sizes, which are available either with or without a built-in Dante interface.
What's New?
All six of the new Qu Series mixers include the following features:
- 96kHz FPGA Processing
- 38 inputs to Mix (32 Mono/Linkable, 3 Stereo)
- DEEP processing ready
- 12 Mixes (six mono/linkable, six stereo) + LR
- Four mono/linkable matrices
- 6 Stereo effects engines with dedicated returns
- 128×128 Intelligent SLink port for Everything I/O compatibility
- 32×32 USB Audio Interface
- Eight SoftKeys
- AES Output
The smallest of the three sizes, the Qu-5, comes equipped with 16 onboard preamps and 12 line-level outputs, and features 17 faders. The Qu-6 then increases the preamp and line-level output counts to 24 and 16 respectively and offers 25 faders, while the larger Qu-7 combines 32 preamps and 20 line-level outputs with a 33-fader surface — all three models include four fader layers. A ‘D’ variant of each model is available, which comes equipped with a 16x16 Dante interface.
“Bands and engineers will love the powerful processing, assistive tools and live capture options. It’s also a super flexible, all-in-one solution for studios and broadcasting applications, and AV integrators have been demanding a Dante-enabled Qu.” - Nic Beretta, Director of Product, Allen & Heath
Pricing & Availability
Pricing and availability information for the Qu Series is yet to be confirmed.
