Allen & Heath SQ5

I've already been mixing shows on larger D-Live and also the SQ6 & 7 at festivals in the last years. The compact SQ5 is equally good. With proper configuration I don't miss the extra soft-buttons and encoders of the larger consoles. For now, there is still a lot of display info missing anyway on the Soft Rotary displays.
The DEEP plug-in purchases do add another big cost to the desk, but the quality, especially compressors, is amazing. My Waves plug-ins now remain in the studio. I use an AR2412 stagebox with this as the complete package needs to remain compact. It always sounded good with the GLD, and even better with the SQ series.
The screen and strips are readable in daylight.
Another factor for the decision was that A&H support is excellent.
Bad points:
-I dislike the very limited 6 characters available for naming the channels. Even the X32 was much better here.
-When transferring Showfiles & Scenes on a laptop, they do not contain the file-names that are visible on the console display itself, so it's a lot of guesswork when transferring from offline editor. So much easier with Yamaha or M32 scenes.
-Additional DEEP-packs too expensive.

Bought the SQ-5 with two DX168 stageboxes for a dawless production rig with 8 stereo synths, guitar, mics, and outboard FX. After full configuration, here's the honest take.
What's great: Excellent 96 kHz audio quality. 32-channel USB multitrack to DAW is the killer feature — every channel captured individually with stereo mixdown alongside. The free DEEP Tube Stage Preamp adds real character, especially on thin sources like Volcas. Internal FX are competent (2× SMR reverb, delay, ADT) and integrate cleanly alongside hardware effects. SLink rock-solid — two DX168s on a single Cat5e cable, plug and go.
What to know before buying: The "Getting Started" guide assumes prior digital console knowledge. Realistic first-session config time: 4-6 hours. Several gotchas: FX engines used as channel inserts don't reset cleanly when unassigned. Scene Recall filters and Safes need genuine understanding to avoid overwriting your work. Insert toggle isn't assignable to a Soft Key (long-standing feature request). The Windows generic USB driver can't handle 32 channels at 96 kHz — install the proper A&H ASIO driver. The 48-channel engine includes 3 stereo + 1 USB slot, but they're convertible to mono in Input Stereo config (not obvious from the manual).
On the DX168: Quality remote I/O over one Ethernet cable, but each box adds 16 physical inputs that land on the existing channel pool — it doesn't proportionally double your usable capacity. Plan accordingly.
Verdict: Punches above its price tier on audio quality and recording integration, but unforgiving of casual setup. Once configured, it disappears into the workflow. Ideal for methodical builders doing hybrid hardware/DAW production. Less ideal if you want plug-and-play analog-mixer simplicity.
5 stars for capability, 4 for first-week experience, 5 once you're past the learning curve.