Introduction
The Allen & Heath ZED-10FX is a small mixer made for live shows and recording music in studios. It’s easy to use and has many different functions, making it a popular option for both musicians and sound experts.
Design and Build
- Compact and sturdy design
- Intuitive layout for easy operation
- Durable construction suitable for using on the go
Performance
- 4 mic/line inputs with professional quality preamps
- Exceptional sound quality with minimal noise
- Built-in effects offer versatility in sound customization
Functionality
- USB connectivity for easy recording and playback
- Flexible routing options for various setups
- EQ and high-pass filter per channel for precise sound shaping
Pros
- Portable and durable build ideal for gigging musicians
- Outstanding sound quality with low noise levels
- Easy-to-use interface suitable for beginners and professionals
- Versatile effects enhance creativity in performances
- USB connectivity simplifies recording and playback processes
Cons
- Limited number of channels may be restrictive for larger setups
- Effects selection might not cover all preferences
- Lack of built-in display for visual feedback
Conclusion
The Allen & Heath ZED-10FX is a small, trustworthy mixer that’s great for small to medium gigs and studios. It has really good sound, an easy design, and lots of different effects. It’s a great tool for musicians or sound engineers to add to their equipment.
IWonder –
A great little mixer for the money. But mine arrived with channel 1 dead, so I’m having to return it for replacement. Bless Amazon for making returns so easy.
Pros: Compact. Good mic preamps with no background noise (bonus points for this because it’s both critically important and rare in low cost equipment). Logical controls. Flexible outputs with a separate Record, Aux and Effects bus.Variable level of effects for each channel.
Cons: Effects quality is okay, but not outstanding. Only one effect at a time–you can’t cascade effects or choose different effects for different channels. Selecting a different effect or setting effect parameters requires lots of button pushes.
I haven’t tried the USB interface yet, so I can’t comment on that. I like this unit enough that I’m getting another even though the first one was defective.
Paul Arevalo –
Works well and no driver download required.
MOONSHOT –
Wow! Best small pro mixer for acoustic guitar and vocals with a Bose L1 system. Forget that POS Bose tone match, this mixer is miles above in sound and quality for far less money! Tonematch is a real joke anyway. With Rode mics and Sunrise pickups it’s dead quiet and the effects and pretty darn good. The DI is built-in so no preamp needed! Effects loop works great with TC Helicon VoiceTone GTX. The USB stereo mix to a computer sounds super clean and as live as can be. It’s as good if not better than my Focusrite 18i20. The knobs are a bit cramped, but I found my mix so that may be a good thing because I won’t change them often. After testing several Mackie, Peavey, and Yamaha mixers the Allen & Heath ZED-10FX is so much better in sound quality it makes especially the Mackie seem like total junk. For the Mackie that’s an absolute. At this price, acoustic players with a PA will be very happy. I use it with 2 Bose L1 systems in stereo and with 2 acoustics, bass, 2 vocals and it’s amazing. The monitor outs is a big plus if you like to hear your mix live. I say go for it – you’ll be happy.
Rose Caraway –
Purchased little over a year ago. Worked great for awhile. Then after about 6 mos it developed a constant high-pitch whine on the monitor output that grew louder over time. Then about two weeks ago the USB port completely died. Then a few days later, after I had to bypass the usb and hook it up using the input and output from my computer sound card (you know, the standard way a mixer gets hooked up to things) it completely died. Lame.
For $300 price point, I expect my equipment to last more than a year. I purchased a replacement from another manufacturer.
I gave 2 stars instead of 1 because it did work great for awhile but overall, I wasted my money. Lame-lame-lame.
DandyD –
This is one of the best built and best sounding mixers you can buy for your money. The preamps in this thing are ultra quite and the USB input is an extremely high quality one. Don’t let the USB 16 bit rating make you think this is a cheap low rated USB input. Extreme quality unit all around. The only slight negative is the input channels do not have the slider controls, but that is another $100 and well worth the money for the ZED60-10FX.
KMickP –
I am delighted with this product, I have not used it for recording yet but only in a “live” situation and it is perfect for the job. Allen & Heath make quality mixers and even at this price point, the ZED -10FX delivers and offers great value for money. It’s easy to use and pretty intuitive so it will suit non technical users fro the get go. I use it for backing tracks, vocals and both acoustic and electric guitars in a one man set up and it is perfect for this given the stereo inputs and guitar inputs specifically designed for the purpose. The sound and EQ are very good through headphones and the effects are really easy to use and the standard settings are adequate to cover most applications without the need to tinker with them. It feels robust and is finished well and gives the impression that is will last for ages.
JimG –
This little Allen & Heath zed-10fx was my first mixer, and I have no regrets or issues with it. In fact it’s been terrific, reliable, quiet, and easy to use. I love it.
I bought it as a learning mixer, and had no idea how this would turn out. Nor did I know what features this didn’t have that I would eventually need. Again, no complaints. This thing has been fantastic.
I’m ready to upgrade. Starting with the next model up – the 12 channel unit I get all the features I’m missing on this 10 channel unit. Here they are:
– channel inserts
– strip mute
– 3 aux sends + fx send
– 1 or 2 aux = pre and 1 or 2 aux = post fader sends
– 100mm faders
Insert jacks you can almost get away not having as they’re a specialized line level input. And this zed 10 had both xlr mic inputs and line level inputes for each channel.
Strip mutes can be faked as well. But at some point making do with a feature is not the same as having the full fledged feature.
I like having 3 aux sends, and I like that some are pre fader sends, and some are post fader sends. This is important for things like running a phoe line, or hooking up Skype to yoru mixer. (common things to do in podcasting world, and sports broadasting, etc).
100mm faders are easier to glance at than dials to see where they are. And 100mm vs 60mm give you more granular control..
So there you go. I’m a fan of Alllen & Heath mixer desks. And it took me a couple years to get the experience and knowldge with different situations to know what I really needed for the challenges I’ve run across.
Good luck with your projects.
Amazon Customer –
Nice little mixer but I’m not happy that the ad promised a free full version of Amplitube which was not true. I contacted customer service and they took all my info but didn’t do anything about it.
Decent product LOUSY SERVICE!!!!
ALLEN & HEATHE did not fulfill their promise to provide me with the advertised promo. 👎👎
Michael S. –
First of all, I am a deligent shopper. I reasearched specifications, read comparisons and reviews. This had the features I wanted and no bad reviews. Other considerations were Alto, Macke, and Yamaha. But when I recieved this I was very happy with my choice. The craftsmanship is obvious right out of the box. When it’s hooked up, it just gets better and better. You can hear (and feel) the quality.
It has all the right inputs and outputs, great control of the mix and tones, and the FXs are clean and real. I have not used the computer interface yet.
This is now the center of my small studio. Obviously, I would recommend it 🙂