Allen & Heath ZED Review: Premium Analog Mixing Quality

Allen & Heath has made mixing consoles in England since 1969. The ZED Series uses THAT Corporation preamps and costs more than entry-level mixers like Behringer or Mackie. The question is whether the audio quality justifies the price difference.

The ZED Series Lineup

The series ranges from the ZED-10 ($399, 10 channels) to the ZED-24 ($899, 24 channels). The ZED-12FX ($499) and ZED-22FX ($799) include built-in effects. The ZED-14 ($549) skips effects for users who have their own outboard gear.

The ZED-R16 ($1,999) adds a FireWire recording interface that records each channel independently.

THAT Corporation Preamps

The ZED preamps use THAT Corporation integrated circuits, which cost more than the chips in budget mixers. The sound is clean with a slight warmth, though whether you hear the difference depends on your ears and source material.

The 69dB gain range handles everything from hot keyboards to quiet ribbon microphones. The noise floor is lower than budget mixers, which matters more when you’re adding significant gain.

This is the main technical difference between ZED and cheaper alternatives. Whether it’s worth the price is subjective.

DuoPre Technology

DuoPre is Allen & Heath’s two-stage gain structure with separate stage and trim controls. This gives more flexibility than single-gain designs when matching different sources.

The LED metering shows optimal level ranges, which helps with gain staging if you’re not sure what you’re doing.

EQ Section

The ZED has a three-band EQ on mono channels: 80Hz, sweepable mid (120Hz-4kHz), and 12kHz. The sweepable mid is useful for finding and cutting problem frequencies.

The EQ sounds reasonably musical with wide curves. It won’t replace outboard EQ, but it’s usable without making things worse.

Built-In Effects

The FX models have 16 effect presets including reverb, delay, and modulation. The quality is decent for live sound but not as good as dedicated outboard effects.

A footswitch input lets you mute effects during performance.

USB Audio Interface

Many ZED models have USB interfaces for recording the stereo bus to a computer. The ZED-R16 goes further with multitrack recording of each channel via FireWire.

The 24-bit recording works for archiving live performances.

Build Quality

The ZED has a metal chassis that holds up to regular use. The faders and knobs feel solid and move smoothly. Construction is better than budget mixers, which matters if you’re gigging regularly.

Who It’s For

The ZED works for small studios tracking with the built-in preamps, bands doing their own live sound, and venues that need a reliable mixer. If you’re happy with a Behringer or Mackie, the ZED probably isn’t necessary. If you hear the difference or value the build quality for touring, it may be worth the extra cost.

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The Allen & Heath ZED Series is available at Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, ProAudioStar, and Amazon.