Does anyone know if the CQ systems are Modular

[Driver_dylanParticipant]

I just put in a CQ18t for a local community theater which has two theaters a large and a small. The CQ was the best solution for the smaller theater which had 16 total mics running and they love it. They have approached me to put in a system in their larger theater. the problem is that the larger theater requires thirty-two mic inputs. I thought about putting two CQ20-b systems in but was wondering if system is modular and could support that using one computer controller. Any knowledge would be appreciated. I am also looking at the Avantis Line but the problem there is that this is a volunteer organization and the knowledge base of the users might be a barrier to a more advanced system.

[BrianParticipant]

No. The CQ series have zero expansion capabilities. There is no ability to add stage boxes, I/O cards, connections to other A&H consoles, etc. They have the stated I/O capacity and that is all that will ever be available with the CQ system. If you need expandability, you need to look at the other product lines.

[mfusaParticipant]

Agree with Brian…

An Allen Heath SQ series mixer (SQ 5, 6, 7) would be perfect here unless money is no object then go with the Avantis or dLive. You could likely get an SQ5 plus all the I/O racks you needed for less than just the cost of the Avantis board itself. Having to manage two separate CQ’s would probably be less ideal for a volunteer staff due to complexity and confusion.

The SQ is available in three sizes depending on budget and desire. Do all of your inputs come back to the mix position already? If so, the SQ-7 has 32 built in preamps. If you need something with remote/stage I/O then you could use any of the SQ models and some of the audio rack expanders.

[BrianParticipant]

I/O count is one of the least important things when comparing consoles. Obviously you need to choose a system that will support your I/O needs, but two 48 channel systems are likely to be very different from each other.

This is just my opinion based on making purchasing decisions through the years, but buss count and buss flexibility is one of the biggest differences to look at when choosing systems. You are much more likely to run out of buss capacity in the future than I/O capacity. The second most important difference is the “expansion” capacity of a system. I’m talking about the number of I/O slots and variety of I/O cards, as well as the total ecosystem available from the manufacture when it comes to the variety of stage boxes, connection with other consoles, etc. The third most important difference is FX – both in the number of instances and the variety of the available FX models.

Let’s look at the SQ and Avantis as an example. These differences between the SQ and Avantis are huge and the Avantis price difference is well worth it if you need the expanded feature set it offers. If you don’t, then the SQ series is great and available at a much lower price point. But they are two very different systems and I/O count is one of the least important differences between the two.

[mfusaParticipant]

Totally Agree Brian – I was just assuming SQ would be a good fit because they were initially discussing a couple of CQ’s to fit the need. A thorough review of the needs is a good suggestion.

[Driver_dylanParticipant]

I agree with most of the opinions here and Think we will be looking a the SQ 5 with 48 patch expansion.

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