Allen & Heath AH-CQ20B Digital Mixer with WiFi, Bluetooth — main product image

Allen & Heath AH-CQ20B Digital Mixer with WiFi, Bluetooth

Allen & Heath

Allen & Heath AH-CQ20B Digital Mixer with WiFi, Bluetooth

Name: Allen & Heath AH-CQ20B Digital Mixer with WiFi, Bluetooth
Brand: Allen & Heath
SKU: AH-CQ20B

★★★★★4.6 (72 reviews)

Studio-grade digital mixing with built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 24-channel USB recording in a stagebox-format that fits any FOH position.

$999.00*

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*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated:Jun 19, 2026.Price and availability are subject to change.

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Overview

The Allen & Heath CQ-20B occupies a precise spot in the compact digital mixer market: enough I/O and processing depth for serious live sound and studio tracking work, packaged in a stagebox format that keeps the FOH position clean and doesn't require a dedicated engineer to operate. With 16 mic/line inputs — 8 of them combi — plus stereo line and Bluetooth inputs, it covers the input demands of club shows, house-of-worship setups, corporate AV installs, and project studio recording sessions where channel count rarely exceeds 16 sources at once. The CQ platform's processing architecture is designed to deliver Allen & Heath preamp quality — known in professional circles for their low self-noise and honest transient response — in a form factor that travels.

The connectivity story is where the CQ-20B earns its keep over the long session. The 24x24 USB interface running simultaneously with live output means your DAW captures every input without interrupting the house mix — a workflow that eliminates the "record or mix" compromise found on smaller desks. The SD card's independent 24-track recording is the safety net that serious engineers will appreciate most: shows don't stop because a laptop sleeps. Dual-band Wi-Fi with auto channel selection handles the remote mixing workflow cleanly, and the rack-mountable chassis (optional kit required) means it transitions from touring to install without modification. For engineers stepping into digital mixing from analog, the learning investment is real, but the CQ platform's app-driven interface is among the more logically laid out in its class.

Key Features

16 Mic or Line (8 of which combi), plus two stereo line inputs

Built-in 2.4GHz/5GHz Wi-Fi with auto channel, Stereo Bluetooth input

24x24 USB interface, 24x24 SD card record/playback

Stage box format

Rack mountable

Specifications

Mic/Line Inputs

16 (8 combi XLR/TRS, 8 line-level)

Stereo Line Inputs

Bluetooth Input

Stereo

Wi-Fi

2.4GHz / 5GHz dual-band with auto channel

USB Interface

24x24

SD Card Recording

24x24 record/playback

Form Factor

Stagebox, rack mountable (optional kit)

Model

AH-CQ20B

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

Dual-band Wi-Fi with auto channel selection gives reliable wireless control from the stage without manual network configuration on show day.
24x24 USB interface enables full multitrack DAW recording running simultaneously alongside live output — a significant workflow advantage for venues that record every show.
Onboard SD card recording at 24 tracks provides a completely laptop-independent capture backup that won't fail if a computer crashes mid-set.
Stagebox form factor keeps the footprint minimal at FOH, and rack mounting capability (with optional kit) suits permanent installs.
Stereo Bluetooth input handles playback sources without consuming a mic/line channel.

👎 Cons

Only 8 of the 16 mic/line inputs are combi jacks — the remaining 8 are line-level only, which limits mic-heavy configurations to 8 microphone sources without a stage box.
Rack mounting requires an optional kit that is not included, adding cost for permanent installs.
The stagebox format, while compact, lacks the tactile fader layout that engineers accustomed to traditional consoles rely on for fast live mix adjustments without looking at a screen.
Advanced DSP configuration and gain staging are primarily managed through the app or a connected screen, which adds a learning curve for engineers migrating from analog desks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the actual input count on the CQ-20B, and how many accept microphones?

There are 16 mic/line inputs total — 8 of those are combi XLR/TRS jacks that accept both microphones and line-level sources — plus two additional stereo line inputs. That gives you meaningful flexibility for hybrid stage-plus-playback setups.

Does the CQ-20B require a computer to operate, or is it fully standalone?

It is fully standalone. The mixer runs its own processing without a connected computer. The built-in SD card handles 24-track record and playback independently, which makes it reliable for shows where a laptop in the signal chain would be a liability.

How does the Wi-Fi control work, and is the latency acceptable for live mixing?

The CQ-20B's 2.4GHz/5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi with auto channel selection connects to the Allen & Heath CQ MixPad app. The latency for remote mixing tasks — adjusting monitor sends from the stage, for example — is low enough for practical live use, though critical mix decisions are still more confident at the physical unit.

Can the 24x24 USB interface be used for multitrack DAW recording simultaneously with live output?

Yes. The USB interface operates at 24 inputs and 24 outputs, so you can route the full mix to a DAW for multitrack capture while the mixer continues sending processed audio to your PA and monitor outputs in parallel.

What kind of processing is built into each channel?

Allen & Heath hasn't fully published the per-channel DSP list for the CQ series in this product's documentation, but the CQ platform is known for including EQ, compression, and gating per channel as part of its smart processing architecture. Check the Allen & Heath CQ-20B product page for the current full DSP feature set.