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REVIEWED
REVIEWED: H|H Audio Q Series
Since being acquired by Headstock Group in 1989, HH Audio has been the company’s professional audio brand focused on producing speakers and amplifiers, mainly aimed at the live and install markets. In recent years, however, there have been some significant changes in the speaker range with models perfect for the mobile DJ market. One of the first popular models was the TNP 1501.
But the turning point came in 2021 when the Tensor TRE and TRS range was launched, squarely aimed at the more affordable end of the DJ market, with attractive pricing yet retaining great sound and reliability. Since then, they have added the Tessen TNA medium size line array that has just been launched at ISE in Barcelona.
Also launched recently are the Q Series, HH Audio’s range of mixers. This new series consists of four analogue mixing consoles (6 channels, 8 channels, 12 channels and 16 channels). The Q Series’ comprehensive channel strip allows you to take complete control over the tonal shape, dynamics and depth of your output with low-noise mic-preamps, 3-band EQ, single knob compression and high-quality DSP effects.
The case for adding a mixer to your kit
Having a mixer in your armoury allows for more flexibility. And the more modern and the more features the better. Pretty much all DJ controllers have microphone inputs, which offer an ability to quickly and easily use a microphone at events. The downside is that you have very little control over the sound you’re producing. Adding a mixer just sounds better.
For a start, simply being able to add a ‘high-shelf’ to the microphone channel improves the output. A ‘high-shelf’ on a mixer refers to a type of equaliser setting that allows you to boost or cut all frequencies above a chosen point on the frequency spectrum, essentially adjusting the ‘brightness’ or high-end of a sound without significantly impacting the low frequencies.
This is especially useful if you work on daytime sound at weddings. Apart from anything else, you’ll take up less space for a daytime ceremony or for a wedding breakfast. Being able to quickly and easily add a microphone for a singer, for example, or even a guitar or keyboard, is a great way of selling additional services. Plus, in the case of live vocalists, having effect such as reverb is essential.
HH Audio’s expertise goes back a long way. All the way to 1968, in fact. Plus, the company’s products are designed and engineered in the UK. As mentioned, there is a choice of four, and all feature 2in/2out USB making these mixers a great tool for music production and also recording live performance or even podcasts.All the mixers in the range have a feeling of quality. Featuring an all-metal construction, everything is laid out in an intuitive way.
The mixers
The baby of the range is the Q6FX. This features two mono mic/line inputs with XLR for mic, balanced ¼” jack socket for line, whilst channels 3-4, 5-6 are stereo line input channels with a balanced ¼” jack socket per channel.
There is also an additional input via stereo RCA which has no dedicated EQ or volume control but can be switched between monitor or main output. Another useful feature is a built-in sound card with two inputs at 16bit, two outputs at 24bit and a sample rate of 48kHz giving you another pair of stereo channels in and out via USB, ideal for streaming or recording.
Controls for each channel are all rotary with a three-band EQ, FX/AUX gain, pan, output level gain and peak level indicator. Channels 1 & 2 have an additional input gain control and phantom power.
FX are available from a built-in DSP effects generator featuring 16 reverb, delay and echo effects which can be quickly turned on and off using a push button with indicator, and level is controlled by a rotary gain. If the internal effects are not enough, switching the internal FX off routes the effect controls to the effects send and return ¼” stereo jacks. Headphone monitoring has its own gain control and outputs using a ¼” stereo jack.
Main stereo is two balanced XLR outputs plus monitor output via two balanced ¼” jacks and master volume control is on a slider with peak level, power and phantom power indicators above.
The Q8FX builds on the Q6FX platform with the addition to channels 1 and 2 of a rotary control compressor with LED indicator, Channels 3-4, 5-6, now have XLR mic input and input gain control plus all six channels have a low cut button, and to complete the eight channels another mono/stereo channel, 7-8, has been added with the same features apart from not having input gain control or low cut. An RCA out has been added plus a gain control for the RCA/USB input.
Q12FX and Q16FX add many more features starting with more mono line/mic channels with compressors making four in total for the Q12FX and eight for the Q16FX with an additional two mono/stereo line/mic channels and an additional mono/stereo line channel. The EQ FX/AUX controls are increased on each channel with the split of FX/AUX with a separate gain control for each.
EQ is expanded with the addition of a 9-band graphic equaliser with an interesting feature – ‘feedback detection’ which, when turned on, increases the intensity of the EQ slider led of the predominant frequence, helping detect where your feedback frequency is.
The DSP FX unit has had a parameter rotary control added which enables increase and decrease duration of reverb or echo, or delay.
The big difference with the larger two models is the output gain controls of each channel with all now controlled by sliders including FX return and AUX send which have their own dedicated controls. In addition, there are three switches to route individual channels, solo for pre-fader monitoring, sub to patch to the subgroup, main for patching to the main output and an additional button with LED indicator to mute the channel.
Main output controls are increased with two extra sub groups with individual slider controls which, in addition to their own outputs via ¼” jacks, are patchable to either left or right main outputs. The last addition is output connections, a foot switch connector which controls whether the FX send signal goes through the DSP FX or not.
Power to all the mixers is IEC on the back panel which is also where you will find the on/off switch and where the Q12FX and Q16FX switch are located.
I hope this has given you an insight into the extensive functionality of the Q series range of mixers. It is great to see a UK manufacturer producing such quality products for our market.
But the turning point came in 2021 when the Tensor TRE and TRS range was launched, squarely aimed at the more affordable end of the DJ market, with attractive pricing yet retaining great sound and reliability. Since then, they have added the Tessen TNA medium size line array that has just been launched at ISE in Barcelona.
Also launched recently are the Q Series, HH Audio’s range of mixers. This new series consists of four analogue mixing consoles (6 channels, 8 channels, 12 channels and 16 channels). The Q Series’ comprehensive channel strip allows you to take complete control over the tonal shape, dynamics and depth of your output with low-noise mic-preamps, 3-band EQ, single knob compression and high-quality DSP effects.
The case for adding a mixer to your kit
Having a mixer in your armoury allows for more flexibility. And the more modern and the more features the better. Pretty much all DJ controllers have microphone inputs, which offer an ability to quickly and easily use a microphone at events. The downside is that you have very little control over the sound you’re producing. Adding a mixer just sounds better.
For a start, simply being able to add a ‘high-shelf’ to the microphone channel improves the output. A ‘high-shelf’ on a mixer refers to a type of equaliser setting that allows you to boost or cut all frequencies above a chosen point on the frequency spectrum, essentially adjusting the ‘brightness’ or high-end of a sound without significantly impacting the low frequencies.
This is especially useful if you work on daytime sound at weddings. Apart from anything else, you’ll take up less space for a daytime ceremony or for a wedding breakfast. Being able to quickly and easily add a microphone for a singer, for example, or even a guitar or keyboard, is a great way of selling additional services. Plus, in the case of live vocalists, having effect such as reverb is essential.
HH Audio’s expertise goes back a long way. All the way to 1968, in fact. Plus, the company’s products are designed and engineered in the UK. As mentioned, there is a choice of four, and all feature 2in/2out USB making these mixers a great tool for music production and also recording live performance or even podcasts.All the mixers in the range have a feeling of quality. Featuring an all-metal construction, everything is laid out in an intuitive way.
The mixers
The baby of the range is the Q6FX. This features two mono mic/line inputs with XLR for mic, balanced ¼” jack socket for line, whilst channels 3-4, 5-6 are stereo line input channels with a balanced ¼” jack socket per channel.
There is also an additional input via stereo RCA which has no dedicated EQ or volume control but can be switched between monitor or main output. Another useful feature is a built-in sound card with two inputs at 16bit, two outputs at 24bit and a sample rate of 48kHz giving you another pair of stereo channels in and out via USB, ideal for streaming or recording.
Controls for each channel are all rotary with a three-band EQ, FX/AUX gain, pan, output level gain and peak level indicator. Channels 1 & 2 have an additional input gain control and phantom power.
FX are available from a built-in DSP effects generator featuring 16 reverb, delay and echo effects which can be quickly turned on and off using a push button with indicator, and level is controlled by a rotary gain. If the internal effects are not enough, switching the internal FX off routes the effect controls to the effects send and return ¼” stereo jacks. Headphone monitoring has its own gain control and outputs using a ¼” stereo jack.
Main stereo is two balanced XLR outputs plus monitor output via two balanced ¼” jacks and master volume control is on a slider with peak level, power and phantom power indicators above.
The Q8FX builds on the Q6FX platform with the addition to channels 1 and 2 of a rotary control compressor with LED indicator, Channels 3-4, 5-6, now have XLR mic input and input gain control plus all six channels have a low cut button, and to complete the eight channels another mono/stereo channel, 7-8, has been added with the same features apart from not having input gain control or low cut. An RCA out has been added plus a gain control for the RCA/USB input.
Q12FX and Q16FX add many more features starting with more mono line/mic channels with compressors making four in total for the Q12FX and eight for the Q16FX with an additional two mono/stereo line/mic channels and an additional mono/stereo line channel. The EQ FX/AUX controls are increased on each channel with the split of FX/AUX with a separate gain control for each.
EQ is expanded with the addition of a 9-band graphic equaliser with an interesting feature – ‘feedback detection’ which, when turned on, increases the intensity of the EQ slider led of the predominant frequence, helping detect where your feedback frequency is.
The DSP FX unit has had a parameter rotary control added which enables increase and decrease duration of reverb or echo, or delay.
The big difference with the larger two models is the output gain controls of each channel with all now controlled by sliders including FX return and AUX send which have their own dedicated controls. In addition, there are three switches to route individual channels, solo for pre-fader monitoring, sub to patch to the subgroup, main for patching to the main output and an additional button with LED indicator to mute the channel.
Main output controls are increased with two extra sub groups with individual slider controls which, in addition to their own outputs via ¼” jacks, are patchable to either left or right main outputs. The last addition is output connections, a foot switch connector which controls whether the FX send signal goes through the DSP FX or not.
Power to all the mixers is IEC on the back panel which is also where you will find the on/off switch and where the Q12FX and Q16FX switch are located.
I hope this has given you an insight into the extensive functionality of the Q series range of mixers. It is great to see a UK manufacturer producing such quality products for our market.
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 130, Pages 86-87.
