Allen & Heath QU-6D vs Behringer Wing: Which Console is Right for Your Church?

By Jake Gosselin

One of the most common questions we receive at Churchfront is what mixing console a church should invest in.  In a recent video Matt and I delved into the differences between the Allen & Heath QU6D and the Behringer WING for those of you that are looking for a super budget friendly mixing solution. Both are solid consoles that fall within a similar budget range, but they have distinctly different feature sets and design philosophies. Let’s dive into a comprehensive side-by-side comparison so you can make an informed decision for your ministry.

Processing Power and Sample Rate

The Allen & Heath QU-6D operates at a 96 kilohertz sample rate with ultra-low latency processing. What Allen & Heath has done here is take much of the same processing power you’ll find in their higher-end consoles and incorporate it into this more compact form factor. The higher sample rate translates to higher fidelity audio because it’s sampling the analog signal into the digital realm more frequently, collecting more data per second. The result is noticeably clearer, higher-quality audio.

Now, in a typical church context, you may not always be running everything at 96 kilohertz, including your PA system. The industry standard of 48K is generally adequate for most applications. The Behringer Wing operates at 48 kilohertz, which is a realistic choice given their priorities. With the Wing, Behringer has emphasized channel count and mix bus count over extreme processing power. While you do have access to numerous plugins and effects on the Wing, a consistent theme throughout this comparison is that Behringer has focused on quantity over quality.

Channel Count and Capacity

The Allen & Heath QU-6D provides 38 inputs to mix with 32 mono linkable channels that can function as stereo pairs, plus three stereo returns. The Behringer Wing offers 48 stereo channels, which translates to 96 mono channels, along with 40 stereo inputs and eight stereo auxiliary channels.

This emphasis on quantity becomes evident here. If your church requires extensive channel count, the Behringer Wing will provide more inputs. However, 38 inputs to mix is substantial and likely sufficient for approximately 90% of churches, particularly those operating within this budget range for mixing consoles.

The key to determining which console suits your needs is straightforward: create a detailed spreadsheet listing all your inputs. Document your ideal number of mix buses, then calculate whether the available channels meet your requirements. This may be a decisive factor for some churches, particularly those with numerous vocalists, choir microphones, various instrument inputs, or multiple crowd microphones. At a certain point, the 38-input limitation may necessitate looking at higher-capacity options like the Allen & Heath SQ, Avantis, or dLive series.

It’s essential to complete this planning before making a purchase decision. Account for all inputs including preaching microphones, MC channels, vocalists, and instruments. Consider your drum miking approach – does your full acoustic drum kit require five to eight microphones, or do you use an electric kit with just two to four inputs? Factor in whether you’re running guitars and keys in stereo. Comprehensive planning will prevent costly mistakes down the road.

Making Practical Concessions

In nearly every smaller church environment, you’ll likely need to make some practical concessions. Sometimes this means recognizing that you don’t need to split out all your backing tracks into individual channels. While some engineers prefer that level of control, the reality is that if you’re working with a modest PA system, the congregation won’t perceive the difference. A stereo bus from your multi-track playback system will serve you well.

This also touches on a philosophical question for worship leaders: do you want your front-of-house engineer mixing those backing tracks, or do you prefer to maintain that control yourself? I’ve worked with sound engineers I’d trust completely with that responsibility, and others where I’d prefer to handle it personally because I have a specific vision for the sound.

Local I/O Considerations

Regarding local analog inputs and outputs on the console itself, my perspective from years in the installation world is that this specification is becoming less critical. It’s beneficial to have at least one input for a talkback microphone, perhaps some for crowd microphones, and a couple of outputs for headphone monitoring. Those are helpful features.

However, we’ve reached a point in church audio where local I/O at the console is somewhat irrelevant. Even in portable setups, most churches should be implementing a stage box configuration with the majority of I/O located on stage. The Wing includes Midas Pro preamps, which offer slightly better quality – they’re more high-end preamps. The Allen & Heath provides 24 local inputs.

This is one area where I believe Allen & Heath could have conducted more market research. Since most churches will utilize digital stage boxes, reallocating the cost of those 24 preamps toward additional channels, stereo channel capability, or simply reducing the console’s price point would have been more practical. If they could eliminate 18 to 20 of those inputs and reduce the cost by a thousand dollars, churches could redirect that budget toward a quality stage box setup.

Mix Architecture and Bus Configuration

The Wing definitely provides more available buses. If you’re using the console primarily for front-of-house mixing without extensive monitoring requirements, you won’t encounter significant limitations with the QU’s mix count. The challenge arises when you begin using your front-of-house console’s mix buses as auxiliary mixes for stage monitors. That’s where bus count becomes a potential constraint.

Both consoles integrate with personal mixer systems, which allows you to offload monitoring from the console. Allen & Heath offers the ME-500 and ME-1 systems, while Behringer provides the P16 series. This is consistently the approach I recommend to churches. If your budget allows for a personal mixer ecosystem – and I would strongly recommend the ME-1 over the ME-500 – you’ll have significantly more mixing capability at your front-of-house position. You won’t be dedicating numerous buses to monitor mixes.

Instead, you can create buses for specific purposes: a vocal bus, a drum bus, a band bus. This approach enables more sophisticated processing for your front-of-house mix. However, if your primary need is a console that can handle numerous in-ear monitor mixes internally with extensive bus options, the Wing makes more sense. It provides 16 auxiliary sends, all in stereo. This means you could dedicate eight auxes to your band’s in-ear systems while still having eight remaining for subgroups and other mixing applications.

Control Surface and User Experience

Both consoles feature 24 to 25 motorized faders. The Wing has a larger touchscreen, which is advantageous. The QU-6D’s smaller touchscreen is well-designed, though it’s more compact overall. I continue to question some of the Wing’s design choices, particularly the additional space on the console that feels like underutilized real estate. I’d prefer to see more faders or perhaps an additional touchscreen, especially in the upper right section of the console. Overall, the control surface comparison is relatively balanced.

From a user interface perspective, I believe Allen & Heath’s UI is more intuitive than Behringer’s, even with the Wing’s improvements. However, regarding the physical mix surface, the Wing has some advantages with larger faders, more prominent scribble strips, and superior color coding. This is one area where the QU shows its limitations – while it has scribble strips, you need to look more carefully to read how things are labeled.

For effects processing, the Wing is clearly superior with 16 true stereo effects engines compared to the QU’s six effects engines. You do have access to the deep processing models on the QU, but Behringer has established themselves as the leader in emulating premium plugins at a consumer-friendly price point. They deserve credit for the processing capability they’ve packed into this console.

Recording and Computer Integration

The QU-6D offers 32 by 32 USB connectivity, SD card multitrack recording, and USB-A stereo record/playback functionality. The Wing provides expanded USB capability with 48 by 48 channels. The Wing includes the dual SD Wing Live recorder, though it’s worth noting that if you want Dante compatibility, you’ll need to replace this with a Dante card. That Dante card provides 64 by 64 channel capability, and the Wing also includes USB-A recording and playback.

Networking, Expansion, and Ecosystem

This is where the comparison becomes particularly significant. The Allen & Heath QU features S-Link, which provides 128 inputs and outputs. While this might seem excessive for the console’s channel capacity, it speaks to the future-proofing inherent in the Allen & Heath ecosystem. You can begin with a more budget-conscious QU console and eventually upgrade to an SQ, Avantis, or dLive while maintaining compatibility with your existing infrastructure.

If you start investing in input/output boxes – I typically recommend the GX4816 for churches – you’re establishing a foundation for long-term growth. The DX line of stage boxes also operate at 96K with quality preamps. These can all be linked together, and when you eventually upgrade to a larger console, it will seamlessly integrate with all the stage boxes you’ve accumulated within the S-Link ecosystem.

Another significant advantage is the 16 by 16 Dante card built into the QU-D models. Some people question why Allen & Heath didn’t implement 32 or 64 channels, but the answer likely involves cost considerations and Audinate licensing fees. However, for most churches, 16 Dante channels is actually quite practical.

Consider this configuration: dedicate four channels to ProPresenter inputs and house music from Spotify. Allocate another four channels to a Dante wireless microphone receiver like the Shure SLXD, which is our preferred system. Use four more channels for click tracks in stereo. The final four channels could handle additional playback tracks. This configuration satisfies the requirements of many small to mid-size churches without exceeding 16 Dante inputs and outputs. If you have Dante-enabled outputs for amplifiers, distributed audio, or routing to your broadcast and video production areas, you have that flexibility built into the console without purchasing additional cards.

The Wing’s advantage is its optional expansion card, which costs approximately $550 and provides up to 64 Dante inputs and outputs. This offers considerably more flexibility for routing multitrack audio throughout your facility.

Size and Physical Specifications

The QU-6D has a smaller form factor with a particularly thin chassis. The five D model is remarkably compact. The Behringer Wing is a substantially larger console in the category of smaller-format digital mixers. This is worth considering for your physical space constraints and portability requirements.

Ecosystem Considerations and Long-Term Planning

Ultimately, this decision comes down to ecosystem selection. Many churches moving from the X32 naturally gravitate toward the Wing because they already own Behringer stage boxes. However, I would caution against the sunk cost fallacy. If you’re currently using more budget-oriented Behringer stage boxes, don’t let that previous investment dictate your future direction. You can sell that equipment and recoup some value, but don’t allow it to prevent you from entering a superior ecosystem for long-term growth.

Both Matt and I believe the Allen & Heath ecosystem is significantly better positioned for long-term ministry applications. When you eventually outgrow the QU-6D, you have clear upgrade paths to the SQ or Avantis. You can repurpose that QU-6D as your broadcast mix console or relocate it to your youth room because it remains compatible within the ecosystem. As your church grows and your team expands, you can have a dedicated mix engineer for your live stream using equipment that integrates seamlessly with your primary system.

My Recommendation

I consistently recommend the Allen & Heath route, and here’s my reasoning: for most churches, particularly smaller congregations just beginning to invest in quality audio, you’re selecting an ecosystem that will serve you for years. If you’re a smaller church, you probably don’t require many of the features the Wing offers – the extensive channel count, the vast effects processing capability, all the bus options. While those features are impressive, they’re often excessive for your actual needs.

I’d rather see churches start with what I call the “lower quantity, higher quality” approach that Allen & Heath represents. You get superior processing power and a clear path for long-term upgrades that will be considerably easier to implement as your ministry grows. I recommend investing more budget into higher-quality stage boxes and preamps, whether that’s the DX line or the GX4816 stage box. Yes, it’s a significant investment – sometimes more expensive than the console itself – but that’s what truly enables scalability in your mixing ecosystem.

Allen & Heath also provides better customer support and a more robust dealer network. The longer I work at Churchfront, the more I value quality customer service. If you’ve ever attempted to get technical support for a Behringer X32, you understand that Behringer’s support infrastructure isn’t as strong. Between these two options, I’m choosing Allen & Heath without hesitation.

The Consumer vs. Professional Installation Market

Many people ask me why I’ve shifted away from recommending the X32 and Wing. I believe we’re at an inflection point in church technology. We’ve moved from an era when modern AV tools were somewhat novel and many churches relied on enthusiastic hobbyists to upgrade their systems. Now, even smaller churches recognize that there’s a standard of professionalism required and expected in church production.

Behringer’s strength – and this is genuinely one of their strengths – is that they’ve packed tremendous value into their consoles for what I would characterize as a consumer market. They’re targeting people who might say, “I’m a hobbyist who wants a capable mixing console for small gigs at local venues.” That’s a valuable market segment, and Behringer serves it well.

However, churches represent a permanent installation environment. Even at a relatively small scale in smaller church venues, the optimal approach is a well-executed, professional system. I believe Allen & Heath and their ecosystem are far better suited for that type of permanent installation solution. Yes, we’re integrators, so we operate in this world professionally. We’re constantly evaluating which equipment performs better in permanent installation scenarios versus equipment designed for small gigs at various temporary venues.

I understand the appeal of the Wing – the extensive feature set, all the capabilities packed into that console at its price point. But what happens is churches follow what I consider the consumer AV route, and eventually they encounter issues with reliability and integration challenges. Behringer’s product development, I believe, isn’t primarily focused on permanent installation scenarios. They’re creating products for the touring and gigging world. They’re empowering users with remarkable products, but Allen & Heath’s focus on future-proofing and the types of upgrades available within their ecosystem makes considerably more sense, even for smaller to mid-size churches.

When you exhaust the channel count on a QU-6D, you have clear options to transition to an SQ or Avantis. You can actually repurpose that QU-6D as your broadcast mix console because it remains compatible with the ecosystem. Or it becomes your youth room console. Your church has grown to the point where your team is large enough to support a dedicated mix engineer for your live stream, and you haven’t wasted your initial investment.

The Dealership Model Reality

I want to be completely transparent about another significant factor: Behringer doesn’t utilize a traditional dealership model. Their products are primarily available through retailers like Sweetwater and Amazon. When you want to work with an actual integrator rather than just a box-sale provider like Sweetwater or Amazon, there’s a critical relationship between integrators and the equipment we represent as authorized dealers.

There’s an economic reality here: integrators generate revenue from margin on equipment sales, which is necessary because our work is extremely time and cost-intensive. We maintain design and engineering teams, installation crews, ongoing support and training resources, programming specialists, and here at Churchfront, we invest considerable resources in creating educational content like this for the church community.

It makes zero economic sense for Churchfront to install or provide ongoing support for Behringer equipment because their business model excludes partnerships with local integrators implementing these solutions in churches. I’d welcome it if they changed their approach, but that’s their current business model, and I want to be completely transparent about this reality.

When we install an Allen & Heath system that generates appropriate margin, we can afford to provide long-term support for that system. If we attempted to install a console where we generated no revenue, there’s literally no budget to support it. We have payroll obligations and business expenses. This economic reality significantly impacts which manufacturers we can recommend and support.

I understand Behringer’s strategy – they’re a more direct-to-consumer brand attempting to keep prices down by eliminating what they view as the middleman, which is the integrator. However, many churches discover they actually need professional assistance with integration, and they find themselves without adequate support options.

You’ll find that manufacturers like Allen & Heath have recognized that their products benefit from professional implementation and turnkey services, even in smaller venues. That’s our role at Churchfront. If you visit churchfront.com and reach out to us for help implementing a new mixing solution, we’re going to recommend Allen & Heath. Our representatives and coaches aren’t going to suggest the Behringer route for all the reasons I’ve outlined here.

That said, you’re free to purchase whatever equipment you prefer. But I want you to understand that you’ll find yourself more limited in the type of support you can access, not just from Behringer directly, but also from integrators and professional installers throughout the industry.

Price Comparison

The QU-6D typically costs slightly more than the Wing at base configuration. However, if you add the Dante option to the Wing, the pricing becomes very similar. Keep in mind that the Wing’s Dante option provides significantly more inputs and outputs than the QU’s built-in 16 by 16 Dante, so that’s a consideration depending on your specific requirements.

It’s also worth noting that there are two additional models in the QU ecosystem. The five D has 17 faders with reduced I/O, while the seven D has 33 faders with expanded I/O. All the D variants include that 16 by 16 Dante capability. Your choice depends on your channel requirements, physical space constraints, and whether you’re planning to invest more heavily in stage I/O from the beginning.

I believe the QU-6D represents the sweet spot for fader count. If budget is extremely tight, the five D is viable if you allocate more resources toward quality stage I/O. Remember, you’re not limited to mixing exclusively from the control surface. You can position a computer or iPad beside you for additional control, which is an option many engineers forget about.

Final Thoughts

I’d encourage you to evaluate which console makes sense for your specific ministry context. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at churchfront.com to schedule a complimentary strategy session. Whether you’re planning a small AV upgrade or a comprehensive system overhaul, we work with churches of all sizes. We’re seeing exciting new construction projects, but we also help churches that simply need to upgrade a mixing console or implement a focused improvement.

We’d be honored to partner with your ministry. Visit churchfront.com to learn more, and thank you for investing time in understanding these important decisions for your church’s production capabilities.

Want to explore our complete list of recommended gear for worship and production ministry? Download the free Churchfront Toolkit at churchfront.com/toolkit, which includes budget ranges to help you and your leadership team plan for future upgrades.