The state of inexpensive mixing consoles for musical theatre in 2024

I compare features of the top four models targeting the community musical theatre market.
Don't forget you can use Dante for the A2 to pre-listen to mikes using a laptop running Reaper backstage.
View the full grid at imgur.com/a/4lnPsAB
Boards compared:
Soundcraft Si series
Allen & Heath SQ series
Behringer x32
Update 5/24: Added Impact to chart.
imgur.com/a/XLPBcfq
Without a full user manual I can't review the Behringer WING, from what I can tell it's only a 40 channel board which puts its cost per channel at around $105. You can read more about the WING here:
/ thoughts_on_behringer_...

[@ArtTistic]

Chris, very insightful as alway. I still feel the Soundcraft has the simplest cueing system making it perfect for musical theatre. Question, opinion on the Impact? I've installed 3 now, 2 at local schools and one at a community theater. I haven't run into any issues, but not seeing on your list has me wondering why. As a side note I have sent a link to your hour-long soundcraft for musical theatre video to soooo many schools and local theaters. It is a fantastic asset and has helped so many people get more from those consoles. Thank You!!

[@cgrote714]

I thought about that. I'm not really clear on what the real channel count is on the Impact. Isn't it only 32 mono input DSP channels? Is there a patch that actually increases that to 64? If so it's an even better deal. It's an interesting product - scribble strips, no annoying gain controls on each strip, fully parametric EQ.

[@timkramar8405]

No behringer Wing on here?

[@cgrote714]

Reply with a link to the full user manual. Not a quick start guide.

[@timkramar8405]

@@cgrote714 touché